Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Axis Capital

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Axis Capital to $13.53 from $13.49, above the current consensus estimate of $13.25. The firm also projected further earnings growth through FY2028.
• Axis Capital recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $3.42 versus the $3.33 consensus, though revenue of $1.64 billion came in below estimates. Revenue still rose 8% year over year.
• The stock trades near $98.70 with a moderate-buy analyst consensus and an average price target of $122.10. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, or $1.76 annually.

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Axis Capital in a research note issued on Friday, June 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $13.53 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $13.49. The consensus estimate for Axis Capital's current full-year earnings is $13.25 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Axis Capital's Q4 2026 earnings at $3.56 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.55 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $14.34 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.83 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $15.00 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on AXS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Axis Capital from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Axis Capital from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho set a $137.00 price target on Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Axis Capital from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.10.

Axis Capital Price Performance

AXS opened at $98.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.35, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51. Axis Capital has a 1 year low of $88.07 and a 1 year high of $110.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.84.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.72 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 16.00%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,104 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,597 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,390 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 37,119 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,975,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 2,827 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axis Capital

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total value of $250,869.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 46,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital's payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

About Axis Capital

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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