Comparing Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) & Suncorp Group (OTCMKTS:SNMCY)

Suncorp Group (OTCMKTS:SNMCY) and Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and profitability.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

93.4% of Axis Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Axis Capital shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Suncorp Group pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Axis Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital pays out 12.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Suncorp Group and Axis Capital, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Suncorp Group	0	1	0	0	2.00
Axis Capital	1	3	9	0	2.62

Axis Capital has a consensus target price of $121.23, suggesting a potential upside of 21.33%. Given Axis Capital’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Axis Capital is more favorable than Suncorp Group.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Suncorp Group and Axis Capital”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Suncorp Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Axis Capital	$6.56 billion	1.11	$1.01 billion	$14.08	7.10

Axis Capital has higher revenue and earnings than Suncorp Group.

Profitability

This table compares Suncorp Group and Axis Capital’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Suncorp Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Axis Capital	16.23%	17.00%	2.82%

Summary

Axis Capital beats Suncorp Group on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Suncorp Group

Suncorp Group Limited provides insurance and banking products and services to retail, corporate, and commercial customers in Australia and New Zealand. The company operates through Insurance (Australia), Suncorp Bank, and Suncorp New Zealand segments. The Insurance (Australia) segment provides general insurance products and services, including home and contents, motor, marine, travel, commercial property, industrial special risk, public liability and professional indemnity, workers' compensation, and compulsory third-party products, as well as distributes life insurance products. The Suncorp Bank segment offers banking services, such as commercial, agribusiness, small business, and home loans; savings and transaction accounts; foreign exchange services; and treasury products and services. The Suncorp New Zealand segment provides general and life insurance products comprising home and contents, motor, commercial property, public liability and professional indemnity, life, trauma, total and permanent disablement, and income protection. The company was formerly known as Suncorp-Metway Limited and changed its name to Suncorp Group Limited in December 2010. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.

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. This segment also provides marine and aviation insurance services for offshore energy, renewable offshore energy, cargo, liability, including kidnap and ransom, fine art, specie, and hull war, hull and liability, and specific war coverage for passenger airlines, cargo operations, general aviation operations, airports, aviation authorities, security firms, and product manufacturers; personal accident, travel insurance, specialty health products for employer and affinity groups, and pet insurance products; and liability, cyber, and credit and political risk insurance services. The Reinsurance segment offers agriculture, marine and aviation, catastrophe, accidental and health, credit and surety, motor, professional, travel, life, engineering, property, and liability reinsurance products. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.