DOWLING & PARTN Reduces Earnings Estimates for Axis Capital

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) – Stock analysts at DOWLING & PARTN reduced their FY2026 EPS estimates for Axis Capital in a research note issued to investors on Friday, July 31st. DOWLING & PARTN analyst N. Iacoviello now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $12.30 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $13.15. The consensus estimate for Axis Capital’s current full-year earnings is $12.96 per share. DOWLING & PARTN also issued estimates for Axis Capital’s FY2027 earnings at $13.40 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings raised Axis Capital from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $131.00 to $126.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Capital One Financial set a $108.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.00.

Axis Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $105.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a PE ratio of 7.52, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Axis Capital has a 1-year low of $88.07 and a 1-year high of $119.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $106.34 and its 200-day moving average is $103.25.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.25 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 16.23%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.29 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Axis Capital by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,592,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $491,786,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,579 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Axis Capital by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,682,238 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $373,412,000 after purchasing an additional 299,573 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,710,902 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $173,504,000 after buying an additional 21,001 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,631,198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $170,069,000 after buying an additional 15,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Axis Capital by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,387,004 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $148,565,000 after buying an additional 10,246 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 46,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. This trade represents a 5.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is 12.50%.

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.