AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Given New $119.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its target price increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $116.00 to $119.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 27.70% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on AXS. StockNews.com lowered AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.75.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 1.9 %

AXS stock traded up $1.78 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.19. The company had a trading volume of 205,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,664. The stock has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.56, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $93.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.97. AXIS Capital has a 12 month low of $60.45 and a 12 month high of $101.42.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. As a group, analysts predict that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.