Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) shares gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $119.27, but opened at $97.94. Axis Capital shares last traded at $107.1590, with a volume of 233,864 shares trading hands.

Key Axis Capital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its price target to $126 from $134 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying nearly 20% upside from the referenced share price. The median target among five analysts is $131. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects approximately $17 million in full-year ACS fee income and indicated that share repurchases will continue during the second half of 2026, potentially supporting per-share value. Axis expects ACS fee income and continued buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: AXS appointed Rahil Jogani to a newly created role leading technology and artificial-intelligence strategy. The initiative could improve efficiency over time, but its near-term financial impact is unclear. AXIS appoints technology and AI strategy head
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter operating earnings were $2.84 per share, below the roughly $3.30 consensus estimate, despite net income of $3.38 per share and revenue of $1.75 billion, which exceeded expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: The consolidated combined ratio deteriorated to 93.1% from 85.3% a year earlier, signaling materially weaker underwriting profitability. Catastrophe and weather-related losses reached $80 million, or 5.3 loss-ratio points, while weaker investment income also weighed on results. AXIS Capital Q2 earnings miss

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on AXS shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $134.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Atlantic Securities set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.42.

Axis Capital Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $106.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.18. The company has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.46, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Insider Transactions at Axis Capital

In other news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total value of $250,869.98. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 11.3% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 26,700 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,869,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $173,504,000 after acquiring an additional 21,001 shares during the last quarter. Bull Harbor Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 1st quarter valued at $910,000. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 88.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,647 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,181,000 after purchasing an additional 5,469 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,289 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.