BWS Financial Initiates Coverage on American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL)

Equities researchers at BWS Financial began coverage on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price target on the auto parts company’s stock. BWS Financial’s price target suggests a potential upside of 111.31% from the company’s previous close.

AXL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 target price on American Axle & Manufacturing in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on American Axle & Manufacturing from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised American Axle & Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $9.92.

American Axle & Manufacturing Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE AXL opened at $8.05 on Tuesday. American Axle & Manufacturing has a 52 week low of $3.00 and a 52 week high of $8.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $954.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.38 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.13.

American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The auto parts company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.20 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Axle & Manufacturing will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Axle & Manufacturing

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peregrine Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing during the 4th quarter valued at $4,967,000. Stratos Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Axle & Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth $89,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 67,339 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 5,989 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in American Axle & Manufacturing by 351.1% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 125,114 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $802,000 after buying an additional 97,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in American Axle & Manufacturing by 81.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 180,685 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 80,957 shares during the last quarter. 91.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Axle & Manufacturing

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc (NYSE: AXL) is a global designer, engineer and manufacturer of driveline and drivetrain systems and components for light vehicles, commercial trucks and off-highway applications. The company’s core product portfolio includes axles, driveshafts, half-shafts, drive module assemblies and differential gears, as well as advanced metallic and composite structures for electric and hybrid vehicles. AAM’s capabilities also encompass system testing, rapid prototyping and precision machining to support both high-volume production and low-volume, specialty vehicle applications.

Founded in 1994 following the divestiture of the Detroit Axle Division of General Motors, American Axle & Manufacturing completed its initial public offering in 1998.