Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its target price raised by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $108.00 to $110.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 28.52% from the stock’s previous close.

AXS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded AXIS Capital from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.71.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE:AXS opened at $85.59 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.95. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $88.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.57. AXIS Capital has a one year low of $53.88 and a one year high of $94.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 10.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,463 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,548,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,070,000 after buying an additional 121,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,004,000. Institutional investors 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.