Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Price

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its price objective cut by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $134.00 to $126.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 20.71% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday. Capital One Financial set a $108.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday. Atlantic Securities set a $122.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Axis Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.42.

Axis Capital Stock Down 1.5%

AXS opened at $104.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Axis Capital has a 12 month low of $88.07 and a 12 month high of $119.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $106.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.16. The stock has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.49.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.25 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 16.23%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Axis Capital will post 13.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXS. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Axis Capital by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,592,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $491,786,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,579 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $103,001,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,705,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 147.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 745,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $79,845,000 after purchasing an additional 443,761 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 374.7% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 553,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,032,000 after purchasing an additional 436,944 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Axis Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Axis Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Gross premiums written increased 6% to $2.7 billion, led by 15% growth in insurance premiums. Revenue of $1.75 billion also exceeded the approximately $1.74 billion analyst estimate. AXIS Capital second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: AXS reported $251 million of net income, or $3.38 per diluted share, up from $216 million, or $2.72 per share, a year earlier. Book value per diluted share rose 14.7% year over year to $80.67, while management signaled continued share repurchases during the second half of 2026 and expects about $17 million in full-year ACS fee income. AXS fee income and buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: AXIS appointed Rahil Jogani to a newly created role leading technology and artificial-intelligence strategy. The move may support efficiency and modernization, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. AXIS technology and AI strategy appointment
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts maintain price targets above the current trading range, with a recent six-month median target of $131, although targets are not guarantees and could be revised following the earnings miss.
• Negative Sentiment: Operating income was $211 million, or $2.84 per share, below consensus estimates near $3.23–$3.30 and down from $3.29 per share a year ago. Investors appear focused on the adjusted-earnings shortfall rather than the rise in reported net income. AXIS Capital earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: The consolidated combined ratio deteriorated to 93.1% from 85.3% in the prior-year quarter, signaling weaker underwriting performance. Catastrophe and weather-related losses reached $80 million, adding 5.3 points to the loss ratio, while weaker investment income further pressured earnings. AXIS Capital catastrophe losses

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.