AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $67.33.

Several brokerages recently commented on AXS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $61.33 on Wednesday. AXIS Capital has a 52 week low of $51.61 and a 52 week high of $65.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $62.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.62.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 6.67% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 43.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stanley A. Galanski purchased 7,000 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $570,647.35. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,785,000. Meritage Portfolio Management increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1,132.7% in the 4th quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 95,474 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after acquiring an additional 87,729 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $3,503,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 721.0% in the 3rd quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 58,670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after acquiring an additional 51,524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 323,408 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $18,230,000 after acquiring an additional 12,019 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.