Head to Head Survey: Axis Capital (AXS) and The Competition

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) is one of 311 public companies in the “Insurance” industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Axis Capital to related businesses based on the strength of its valuation, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Axis Capital and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Axis Capital	14.62%	16.61%	2.71%
Axis Capital Competitors	9.45%	-10.05%	4.09%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Axis Capital and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Axis Capital	0	5	9	0	2.64
Axis Capital Competitors	3349	15720	16568	747	2.40

Axis Capital currently has a consensus price target of $120.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.52%. As a group, “Insurance” companies have a potential upside of 4.26%. Given Axis Capital’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Axis Capital is more favorable than its competitors.

Dividends

Axis Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Axis Capital pays out 13.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Insurance” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.9% and pay out 31.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Risk and Volatility

Axis Capital has a beta of 0.39, suggesting that its stock price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Axis Capital’s competitors have a beta of -1.55, suggesting that their average stock price is 255% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

93.4% of Axis Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.9% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Axis Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.4% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Axis Capital and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Axis Capital	$6.56 billion	$1.01 billion	8.29
Axis Capital Competitors	$15.26 billion	$1.70 billion	33.69

Axis Capital’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Axis Capital. Axis Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Summary

Axis Capital beats its competitors on 8 of the 15 factors compared.

Axis Capital Company Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited is a global specialty insurer and reinsurer headquartered in Bermuda. Founded in 2001, the company serves businesses and other clients through insurance and reinsurance operations. Its insurance offerings include coverage for property and casualty risks, professional liability, cyber, marine, aviation, energy, and accident and health. Its reinsurance business provides protection to other insurers across property, casualty, and specialty lines. AXIS operates in markets around the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.