American Axle & Manufacturing Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AXL)

Key Points

• American Axle & Manufacturing experienced a remarkable increase in call options trading, with 16,046 options purchased, marking an approximately 844% increase from the typical daily volume.
• The company's stock opened at $6.27 and it has a market cap of $744 million, with a year-over-year revenue decline of 5.9%.
• Recent analyst ratings are mixed; while Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock to a "strong-buy," it holds an average rating of "Hold" with a price target of $6.75.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders purchased 16,046 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 844% compared to the typical volume of 1,699 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AXL. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of American Axle & Manufacturing from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $6.00 to $8.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on American Axle & Manufacturing in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $6.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Axle & Manufacturing from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $6.75.

American Axle & Manufacturing Trading Down 1.4%

AXL stock traded down $0.09 on Friday, reaching $6.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,804,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,590,685. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.58. American Axle & Manufacturing has a 12-month low of $3.00 and a 12-month high of $7.03. The firm has a market cap of $738.07 million, a PE ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.77.

American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The auto parts company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. American Axle & Manufacturing had a return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 0.73%.The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Axle & Manufacturing has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Axle & Manufacturing will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Axle & Manufacturing

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in American Axle & Manufacturing by 615.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,879,668 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $7,669,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617,069 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $7,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600,512 shares during the last quarter. Whitebox Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing by 23.0% during the second quarter. Whitebox Advisors LLC now owns 5,599,014 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $22,844,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047,820 shares during the period. JB Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing by 622.6% during the first quarter. JB Capital Partners LP now owns 957,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 825,000 shares during the period. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing during the second quarter valued at $3,231,000. 91.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.