Virtu Financial LLC Raises Position in Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX)

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX) by 19.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,259 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Axos Financial were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Axos Financial by 12.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 281,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,711,000 after purchasing an additional 32,095 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Axos Financial by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 142,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,974,000 after acquiring an additional 35,087 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Axos Financial by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 337,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,604,000 after acquiring an additional 17,201 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Axos Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,849,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Axos Financial by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 3,588 shares in the last quarter. 83.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AX shares. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Axos Financial from $96.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $75.00) on shares of Axos Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Axos Financial from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Axos Financial from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Axos Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.17.

Insider Activity

In other Axos Financial news, Director Sara Wardell-Smith bought 3,000 shares of Axos Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.73 per share, for a total transaction of $194,190.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,482.50. This represents a 41.38 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.07% of the company’s stock.

Axos Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

AX opened at $65.41 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.79 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Axos Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.10 and a 52 week high of $88.46.

Axos Financial (NYSE:AX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. Axos Financial had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 22.10%. Analysts forecast that Axos Financial, Inc. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axos Financial Profile

Axos Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides consumer and business banking products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Banking Business and Securities Business. The company offers deposits products, including consumer and business checking, demand, savings, time deposit, money market, zero balance, and insured cash sweep accounts.