Q1 EPS Estimates for Axis Capital Boosted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Axis Capital to $3.09, up from a previous estimate of $3.02.
• Axis Capital recently reported an EPS of $3.29, exceeding expectations by $0.41, amid a revenue of $1.63 billion, which was slightly below analysts' expectations.
• The firm plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share on October 17th, reflecting a 1.8% dividend yield.

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Axis Capital in a research note issued on Monday, October 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $3.09 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $3.02. The consensus estimate for Axis Capital's current full-year earnings is $11.19 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Axis Capital's Q3 2026 earnings at $2.92 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.31 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $3.65 EPS.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.41. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.93 earnings per share. Axis Capital's revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on AXS. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Axis Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, August 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.00.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $96.68 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.02. Axis Capital has a 12-month low of $77.21 and a 12-month high of $107.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Axis Capital during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 1st quarter worth $225,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 7.8% in the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,736 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in Axis Capital by 14.0% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Axis Capital by 89.5% during the first quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,817 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,287,000 after buying an additional 10,778 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total value of $345,345.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 47,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,666,597.65. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel J. Draper sold 4,305 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.57, for a total value of $420,038.85. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,587,366.33. The trade was a 20.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,205 shares of company stock worth $1,188,048 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Axis Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.92%.

Axis Capital Company Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products in Bermuda, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions, employment practices, fiduciary, crime, professional indemnity, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers; and property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, property in transit, onshore renewable energy installations, and physical damage and business interruption following an act of terrorism.

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