American Axle & Manufacturing Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AXL)

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 3,000 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 106% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,453 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on American Axle & Manufacturing from $8.00 to $7.50 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Axle & Manufacturing from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a report on Monday, May 5th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on American Axle & Manufacturing in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $5.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $5.00 price target on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $5.93.

American Axle & Manufacturing Stock Performance

Shares of American Axle & Manufacturing stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $4.09. The company had a trading volume of 3,796,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,079,938. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $4.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.78. The stock has a market cap of $485.32 million, a PE ratio of 24.06 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.38, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.35. American Axle & Manufacturing has a 1-year low of $3.00 and a 1-year high of $7.65.

American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The auto parts company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing had a net margin of 0.36% and a return on equity of 8.70%. American Axle & Manufacturing's quarterly revenue was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Axle & Manufacturing will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Axle & Manufacturing

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXL. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Golden State Equity Partners acquired a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the first quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in American Axle & Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.41% of the company's stock.

About American Axle & Manufacturing

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.