Investors Buy High Volume of Aptiv Put Options (NYSE:APTV)

Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors acquired 6,834 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 262% compared to the typical volume of 1,890 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on APTV. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Aptiv from $107.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Aptiv from $150.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Aptiv from $84.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered Aptiv from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Aptiv from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.93.

Aptiv Stock Performance

Shares of APTV opened at $69.78 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.03 billion, a PE ratio of 6.74, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.72. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $76.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.85. Aptiv has a 52 week low of $68.84 and a 52 week high of $113.60.

Aptiv (NYSE:APTV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.11. Aptiv had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 13.32%. The business had revenue of $4.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.95 billion. Research analysts expect that Aptiv will post 5.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Benjamin Lyon sold 18,680 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.69, for a total value of $1,451,249.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 95,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,396,942.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aptiv

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aptiv by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 154,944 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $13,902,000 after buying an additional 41,135 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aptiv during the 4th quarter worth $13,120,000. Arbor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aptiv during the 4th quarter valued at $1,875,000. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aptiv by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 378,655 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $33,973,000 after purchasing an additional 65,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its holdings in Aptiv by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 70,926 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $6,363,000 after purchasing an additional 13,579 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.21% of the company’s stock.

Aptiv Company Profile

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.