American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Crushes Earnings Estimates

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (NYSE: AXL  ) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings met expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly and GAAP earnings per share increased significantly.

Gross margins shrank, operating margins dropped, net margins increased.

Revenue details
American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings reported revenue of $736.7 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see a top line of $730.5 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 22% higher than the prior-year quarter's $605.6 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $4.42. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.11 per share. GAAP EPS of $4.21 for Q4 were much higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.41 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 11.4%, 710 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 2.5%, 650 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 43.4%, 3,830 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $768.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.31.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.30 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.84.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 191 members out of 306 rating the stock outperform, and 115 members rating it underperform. Among 83 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 52 give American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings a green thumbs-up, and 31 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings is outperform, with an average price target of $12.79.

If you're looking for an edge in the transportation segment of the market, consider strong, smaller brands that sell their products to folks like you and me. We've got a couple to offer, plus a home-owner's trusted go-to company, in our new special report, "Middle-Class Millionaire-Makers: 3 Stocks Wall Street's Too Rich to Notice." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings to My Watchlist.