American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL) Price Target Raised to $8.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE:AXL) had its target price raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $7.00 to $8.00 in a research report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the auto parts company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on AXL. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Axle & Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 price target on American Axle & Manufacturing in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on American Axle & Manufacturing from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.50.

American Axle & Manufacturing Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXL opened at $8.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $981.06 million, a P/E ratio of 25.05 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.04. American Axle & Manufacturing has a fifty-two week low of $3.00 and a fifty-two week high of $8.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Axle & Manufacturing

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AXL. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in American Axle & Manufacturing by 267.7% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,383 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,191 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing by 825.6% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 6,225 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing during the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in American Axle & Manufacturing in the third quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors own 91.41% of the company’s stock.

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.