AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 note on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS traded up $2.31 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $94.12. The stock had a trading volume of 709,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,669. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a PE ratio of 7.62, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital has a 12 month low of $60.06 and a 12 month high of $94.94. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $89.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.74.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. Research analysts expect that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,175,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,147,000. FIL Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,775,000. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth $31,118,000. 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.