AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXIS Capital stock opened at $97.50 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $90.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.36. AXIS Capital has a one year low of $60.06 and a one year high of $98.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $7.88 billion, a PE ratio of 7.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95.

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

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in AXIS Capital by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,931 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in AXIS Capital by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,799 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.