AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Earns Market Perform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Analysts at BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 8.66% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.75.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 2.6 %

AXIS Capital stock opened at $85.59 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital has a twelve month low of $53.88 and a twelve month high of $94.89. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $88.65 and a 200-day moving average of $80.57.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 10.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,463 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,548,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 23.3% in 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 period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of 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 during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,070,000 after purchasing an additional 121,437 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter valued at about $1,004,000. 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.