AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Price Target Raised to $110.00

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $108.00 to $110.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective points to a potential upside of 28.22% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised AXIS Capital from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.71.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 2.4 %

AXS traded down $2.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $85.79. The stock had a trading volume of 92,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 482,200. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital has a 52 week low of $53.88 and a 52 week high of $94.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.36.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AXIS Capital will post 10.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AXS. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the second quarter worth $258,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,075,087 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $287,909,000 after buying an additional 152,914 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 235.6% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 165,100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,664,000 after buying an additional 115,900 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,527 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 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.