AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The insurance provider reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.17, Zacks reports. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 19.11%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.33 EPS. AXIS Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AXS traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $65.39. The company had a trading volume of 682,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 646,238. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.73. AXIS Capital has a twelve month low of $51.61 and a twelve month high of $66.74.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Stanley A. Galanski bought 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on AXS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.33.

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.