Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Price

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXSGet Free Report) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $119.00 to $134.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 18.98% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on AXS. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Axis Capital from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Axis Capital from $126.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their price target on Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Axis Capital from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Axis Capital from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.70.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on AXS

Axis Capital Price Performance

NYSE AXS traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $112.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 287,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 635,396. The stock has a market cap of $8.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.40, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.49. Axis Capital has a fifty-two week low of $88.07 and a fifty-two week high of $115.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $101.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXSGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.09. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Axis Capital will post 13.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of Axis Capital stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total transaction of $250,869.98. Following the sale, the director owned 46,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 63,457 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,361,000 after purchasing an additional 7,023 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Axis Capital by 6.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 205,553 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,605,000 after buying an additional 12,680 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in shares of Axis Capital by 86.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 47,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,739,000 after buying an additional 21,892 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 42.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,417 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,044,000 after buying an additional 3,085 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 33.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,924 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories

Analyst Recommendations for Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS)

Receive News & Ratings for Axis Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Axis Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.