Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) Short Interest Update

Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,700,000 shares, an increase of 37.8% from the January 31st total of 8,490,000 shares. Approximately 5.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,540,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APTV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Aptiv in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Aptiv from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Aptiv from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $82.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Aptiv from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Aptiv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.61.

Aptiv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APTV traded up $2.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $65.08. 1,507,877 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,315,583. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.81. Aptiv has a 12 month low of $51.47 and a 12 month high of $85.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.93 billion, a PE ratio of 9.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.74.

Aptiv (NYSE:APTV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.12. Aptiv had a net margin of 9.07% and a return on equity of 15.63%. Equities research analysts expect that Aptiv will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aptiv

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in APTV. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Aptiv by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,289,126 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $864,206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,517,104 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Aptiv by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,775,251 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $470,247,000 after buying an additional 126,882 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Aptiv by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,146,947 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $371,767,000 after buying an additional 1,408,433 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Aptiv by 1,390.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,361,795 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $386,103,000 after acquiring an additional 5,002,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Aptiv by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,882,254 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $234,799,000 after acquiring an additional 223,831 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.21% of the company’s stock.

About Aptiv

Aptiv PLC engages in design, manufacture, and sale of vehicle components in North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, South America, and internationally. The company provides electrical, electronic, and safety technology solutions to the automotive and commercial vehicle markets. It operates through two segments, Signal and Power Solutions, and Advanced Safety and User Experience.