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Here's Why You Should Retain Aptiv (APTV) in Your Portfolio

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A prudent investment decision involves buying stocks that have solid prospects and selling those that carry risks. At times, it is rational to hold certain stocks that have enough potential but are weighed down by tough market conditions.

Here we discuss about Aptiv PLC (APTV - Free Report) , a stock with an expected long-term earnings per share growth rate of 13.4% and a VGM Score of B.

Strategic Acquisitions

The acquisition of MVL has strengthened Aptiv’s position, especially in the Asia Pacific Region. While the Unwired and Antaya acquisitions expanded the company’s portfolio of connected technologies, HellermanTyton added opportunities in the adjacent industrial end markets. Meanwhile, Movimento and Control-Tec are the foundation of the company’s connected services platform. 

Recently, Aptiv completed the KUM buyout and announced the acquisition of Winchester Interconnect. Both the buyouts are expected to strengthen the company’s Signal and Power Solutions segment. Aptiv intends to continue making investments aimed at organic as well as inorganic growth.

Investments and Collaborations Driving Growth

Aptiv has ramped up investments in advanced technology and collaborations to make the most of the lucrative opportunities offered by the rapidly evolving automotive sector.

In terms of technology, the company has developed automated driving software, key active safety sensing technologies, Multi-Domain Controller — an advanced centralized supercomputer platform that integrates information from sensing systems — and mapping and navigation data to assist driving decisions.

Aptiv has collaborated with Mobileye N.V. for the development of Centralized Sensing Localization and Planning ("CSLP") system — a complete turnkey fully autonomous driving platform. Its collaboration with BMW and Intel for development and use of self-driving technology is also commendable.

Additional Tailwinds

With global balance of automotive production shifting toward key growth markets like China, Aptiv continues to expand in these markets by leveraging its well-established partnerships with global OEMs. We believe that expanding presence in regions offering long-term opportunities should help Aptiv improve its earnings and revenues.

Also, the company is well poised to gain from secular trends toward connected cars. With excellent system integration expertise, we believe Aptiv is well positioned to leverage on growing electrification, connectivity and autonomy trends in the automotive sector. The company’s "smart architecture" provides a competitive advantage and should help it continue to gain market share.

In view of the above positives, we believe that investors should retain the stock in their portfolios. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Business Services sector include FTI Consulting (FCN - Free Report) , NV5 Global (NVEE - Free Report) and Information Services Group (III - Free Report) . While FTI Consulting sports a Zacks Rank #1, NV5 Global and Information Services Group carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

FTI Consulting, NV5 Global and Information Services Group have delivered an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 58.3%, 12.7% and 5.5%, respectively.

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