American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $4.41, but opened at $4.84. American Axle & Manufacturing shares last traded at $4.76, with a volume of 1,160,388 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AXL shares. Wall Street Zen raised American Axle & Manufacturing from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group raised American Axle & Manufacturing from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $4.50 to $7.00 in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on American Axle & Manufacturing from $8.00 to $7.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Axle & Manufacturing presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $6.43.

American Axle & Manufacturing Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.38, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock has a market cap of $558.30 million, a P/E ratio of 27.74 and a beta of 1.54.

American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The auto parts company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.43 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing had a return on equity of 8.70% and a net margin of 0.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Axle & Manufacturing

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXL. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC grew its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 465.1% during the 1st quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 1,944,668 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $7,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600,512 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 201.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,246,559 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $7,267,000 after acquiring an additional 832,726 shares during the last quarter. JB Capital Partners LP grew its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 622.6% during the 1st quarter. JB Capital Partners LP now owns 957,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 825,000 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,550,521 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $6,311,000 after acquiring an additional 679,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lonestar Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,893,000. 91.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Axle & Manufacturing Company Profile

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc engages in the manufacture, engineering, design, and validation of driveline systems and related components. It operates through the Driveline and Metal Forming segments. The Driveline segment consists of axles, drive shafts, power transfer units, rear drive modules, and electric and hybrid driveline products and systems for light trucks, service utility vehicles, crossover vehicles, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles.

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