Short Interest in American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL) Increases By 34.4%

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 36,761,174 shares, a growth of 34.4% from the January 15th total of 27,345,841 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,357,549 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.9 days. Currently, 31.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 31.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,357,549 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.9 days.

American Axle & Manufacturing Trading Up 11.6%

AXL stock traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $9.18. 10,012,912 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,800,591. American Axle & Manufacturing has a one year low of $3.00 and a one year high of $9.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $7.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.51. The company has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXL. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing by 760.8% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,503,827 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $21,058,000 after acquiring an additional 3,096,778 shares in the last quarter. Highland Peak Capital LLC increased its holdings in American Axle & Manufacturing by 72.7% during the 3rd quarter. Highland Peak Capital LLC now owns 4,909,688 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $29,507,000 after purchasing an additional 2,066,924 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in the 3rd quarter valued at about $11,470,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing by 615.8% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,879,668 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $7,669,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Masters Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in the third quarter valued at about $7,212,000. Institutional investors own 91.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on AXL shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on American Axle & Manufacturing from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BWS Financial started coverage on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of American Axle & Manufacturing in a research note on Monday, December 29th. 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, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 price target on American Axle & Manufacturing in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $9.92.

American Axle & Manufacturing Company Profile

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.