Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Price Target to $121.00

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $124.00 to $121.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 16.97% from the stock’s previous close.

AXS has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, December 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $121.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.90.

Axis Capital Price Performance

AXS stock traded down $0.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $103.45. 54,221 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 664,020. The stock has a market cap of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.65. Axis Capital has a one year low of $84.81 and a one year high of $110.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.82.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.28. Axis Capital had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 18.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Axis Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Axis Capital by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 0.5% during the second quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 26,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,755,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 1.5% in the second quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 8,358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $868,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in Axis Capital by 94.0% during the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 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: Q4 results beat expectations — operating income/adjusted EPS of $3.25 beat consensus ($2.97) and reported net income of $282M ($3.67 per share); revenue of $1.73B also topped estimates and rose ~17.8% year-over-year. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Strong profitability metrics — return on equity ~18.9% and net margin ~15.4% point to solid underwriting/portfolio performance that supports valuation. MarketBeat Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record growth and strategic investments aimed at diversifying revenue (new business lines, tech modernization), signaling multi-year growth potential. Earnings Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 top-line guidance is for mid- to high-single-digit premium growth — positive for scale but not aggressive; management plans to invest in technology and new lines, which could boost future margins but increase near-term spend. Guidance Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings slide deck and conference call transcript provide detail on reserve development, segment results and capital deployment — useful for investors but not market-moving by itself. Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction mixed — Bank of America cut its price target from $119 to $115 and reiterated a neutral rating, flagging limited near-term upside and potentially weighing on sentiment. Analyst Note
• Negative Sentiment: Expenses and investments rose in the quarter; several reports note higher operating costs that could pressure near-term margins despite the EPS beat. Zacks Coverage

About Axis Capital

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.