AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Given New $80.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its target price increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of AXIS Capital from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $67.67.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

AXS opened at $64.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.07, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.17 and a 200 day moving average of $58.10. AXIS Capital has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two 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.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 6.67% and a return on equity of 19.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 10.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.78%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Stanley A. Galanski bought 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 447.2% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 487 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 177.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 842 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.