Zacks Research Predicts Stronger Earnings for Axis Capital

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its earnings forecast for Axis Capital, predicting $11.84 per share for FY2025, up from $11.50, surpassing the current consensus estimate of $11.19 per share.
• Axis Capital reported strong quarterly earnings of $3.29 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.41, although its revenue fell short of estimates at $1.63 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.8%, with a current payout ratio of 16.92%.

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Axis Capital in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $11.84 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $11.50. 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 Q4 2025 earnings at $2.94 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.29 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.03 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $12.32 EPS.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.93 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AXS. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Axis Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.43.

Axis Capital Stock Up 0.9%

AXS stock traded up $0.8210 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $95.8310. 93,125 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 707,972. 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 company has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.21, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.83. The firm's 50-day moving average is $98.44 and its 200-day moving average is $97.11. Axis Capital has a 12 month low of $74.27 and a 12 month high of $107.19.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $964,000 after acquiring an additional 2,021 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Axis Capital by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 79,653 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,059,000 after purchasing an additional 5,624 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,896 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Axis Capital by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 41,844 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,708,000 after purchasing an additional 7,920 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in Axis Capital by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,163 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,521,000 after buying an additional 1,620 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.