Reviewing Axis Capital (AXS) & Its Peers

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) is one of 311 public companies in the “Insurance” industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Axis Capital to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Axis Capital and its competitors top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Axis Capital	$6.56 billion	$1.01 billion	8.27
Axis Capital Competitors	$15.31 billion	$1.70 billion	33.69

Axis Capital’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Axis Capital. Axis Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Axis Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Axis Capital pays out 13.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Insurance” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.9% and pay out 31.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Axis Capital and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Axis Capital	14.62%	16.61%	2.71%
Axis Capital Competitors	8.67%	-9.88%	4.11%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Axis Capital and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Axis Capital	0	5	9	0	2.64
Axis Capital Competitors	3341	15704	16547	743	2.40

Axis Capital currently has a consensus price target of $120.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.82%. As a group, “Insurance” companies have a potential upside of 4.73%. Given Axis Capital’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Axis Capital is more favorable than its competitors.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

93.4% of Axis Capital shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.9% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Axis Capital shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.4% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Axis Capital has a beta of 0.39, meaning that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Axis Capital’s competitors have a beta of -1.59, meaning that their average share price is 259% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Axis Capital beats its competitors on 8 of the 15 factors compared.

Axis Capital Company Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited is a global specialty insurer and reinsurer headquartered in Bermuda. Founded in 2001, the company serves businesses and other clients through insurance and reinsurance operations. Its insurance offerings include coverage for property and casualty risks, professional liability, cyber, marine, aviation, energy, and accident and health. Its reinsurance business provides protection to other insurers across property, casualty, and specialty lines. AXIS operates in markets around the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.