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Investing.com - Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) upgraded Valeo SA (PA:VLOF) (OTC:VLEEY) from Underweight to Overweight on Thursday, raising its price target to EUR11.30 from EUR9.00. The stock, currently trading at $5.29, has shown resilience with a 15.78% gain year-to-date.
The investment bank cited Valeo (EPA:VLOF)’s positioning to capture the next wave of automotive innovation, particularly in software-defined vehicles, as a key factor in the upgrade decision. Morgan Stanley expects Valeo’s EBIT margin to reach its lowest point in 2025 before entering a new up-cycle beginning in 2026. InvestingPro data confirms Valeo’s strong market position as a prominent player in the Automobile Components industry, with the company maintaining profitability over the last twelve months.
The research firm noted that Valeo has been lagging behind auto parts peers, creating a compelling valuation with a market capitalization approximately 0.6 times its capital expenditure plus net research and development costs. This compares favorably to peers trading at 5 times 2025 estimates. With a current market capitalization of $2.62 billion and annual revenue of $22.26 billion, Valeo appears undervalued according to InvestingPro Fair Value analysis.
Morgan Stanley highlighted that Valeo’s 2025 price-to-earnings ratio of 8x now sits at its 10-year historical average and at the low end of its peer group. The firm acknowledged weak earnings momentum and high leverage as concerns for the French auto parts supplier.
The investment bank also pointed out that Valeo is the only auto parts company under its coverage where Morgan Stanley’s margin estimates are not below consensus, suggesting the market has not fully recognized the company’s potential despite current guidance.
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