Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $42.50.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AXTA. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Axalta Coating Systems from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI started coverage on Axalta Coating Systems in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $47.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup cut shares of Axalta Coating Systems from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

Axalta Coating Systems Stock Performance

Shares of AXTA opened at $34.35 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. Axalta Coating Systems has a 52-week low of $30.40 and a 52-week high of $41.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $38.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.30. The company has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.44.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.08. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 24.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Axalta Coating Systems will post 2.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axalta Coating Systems

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Axalta Coating Systems during the second quarter worth $30,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 35.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 98.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axalta Coating Systems Company Profile

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings.