• Revenue: $4.8 billion, down 1% year-over-year.
• Operating Income: $572 million, an increase of over 5%.
• Earnings Per Share (EPS): $1.69, a first quarter record.
• Operating Cash Flow: $273 million.
• Share Repurchase Program: Completed $3 billion program, reducing share count by 18%.
• Bookings: Nearly $5 billion in the first quarter.
• Advanced Safety and User Experience Revenue: Flat, with active safety revenues up 9%.
• Engineered Components Group Revenue: Increased 1%, with China revenues up 24%.
• Electrical Distribution Systems Revenue: Declined 3%.
• Adjusted EBITDA: $758 million.
• Operating Income Margin: Expanded 80 basis points year-over-year.
• Capital Expenditures: $197 million in the quarter.
• Second Quarter Revenue Guidance: $4.92 billion to $5.12 billion.
• Second Quarter Operating Income Guidance: $575 million at the midpoint.
• Second Quarter EPS Guidance: $1.80 at the midpoint.
• Debt Reduction: Paid down approximately $700 million of debt since the start of the year.
• Liquidity: Over $3.4 billion with net leverage at 2.2 times.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with APTV.

Release Date: May 01, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

• Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) exceeded its first-quarter guidance due to higher vehicle production volumes, particularly in China, and strong growth in non-automotive markets.
• Operating income reached a record $572 million, reflecting a 5% increase due to strong operating execution and cost reduction initiatives.
• The company completed a $3 billion accelerated share repurchase program, reducing its share count by 18% and enhancing shareholder value.
• Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) secured nearly $5 billion in new business awards, with significant traction in China, including $1.4 billion in bookings with local OEMs.
• The company announced strategic partnerships with ServiceNow and Capgemini to expand its cloud solutions, enhancing its footprint in the enterprise sector.

Negative Points

• Revenue declined by 1% to $4.8 billion due to lower vehicle production in North America and Europe, and negative customer mix.
• The company faces uncertainty due to rapid changes in global trade policies, impacting demand in the automotive market.
• Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) is experiencing delays in customer program awards due to trade policy and regulatory changes.
• The Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS) segment saw a 3% revenue decline, primarily due to lower light vehicle production.
• The company is cautious about the second half of the year due to uncertain vehicle production volumes and consumer demand.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Kevin, can you clarify the outlook for the second quarter and the second half of the year, particularly regarding tariffs and production volumes? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: For the second quarter, we have visibility into production schedules and have accounted for tariff impacts. The uncertainty lies in the second half, primarily concerning vehicle production volumes, which depend on consumer demand and OEM pricing strategies. We are managing tariff impacts and will pass any unmitigated costs to customers.

Q: Can you provide more details on the potential relocation of high-value production to the US? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: It's early days, but this would not include the wire harness business. We are considering moving parts of our ASUX or ECG business that can be highly automated. We would initially leverage our existing US manufacturing footprint, but no specific capital investment details are available yet.

Q: How is the macro uncertainty affecting advanced content bidding and launches? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: The activity level remains robust, but OEMs are taking longer to finalize paths and award contracts. This delay is similar to last year, where awards were stronger in the back half. Engagement with OEMs is at high levels.

Q: Does the macro uncertainty or the heavy footprint in Mexico affect the EDS spin-off plan? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: The plan to separate the EDS business remains unchanged. Our focus is on growing the business, standardizing wire harnesses, and expanding beyond automotive. The separation will allow EDS to pursue these goals more effectively.

Q: Can you explain the volume decline implied in the guidance for the second half and how it compares to third-party forecasts? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: We rely on customer schedules rather than third-party forecasts like IHS. Our guidance framework is based on initial assumptions and provides a baseline for vehicle production scenarios. The focus is on volume uncertainty in the second half, not direct tariff impacts.

Q: How did you arrive at the assumption for 4% lower production in Q2, and how are tariffs affecting this? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: Our forecast is based on customer production schedules, which are reliable closer to production dates. We haven't seen significant schedule changes due to tariffs, and current schedules align with our February expectations, with minor OEM and platform adjustments.

Q: Can you elaborate on the strong Q1 EBITDA margin and the expected margin walk from Q1 to Q2? A: Varun Laroyia, CFO: Q1 margins benefited from strong operational performance, strategic sourcing, and volume flow-through. For Q2, ongoing operational activities continue, but FX and commodity headwinds, particularly related to the Mexican peso, will impact margins.

Q: How should we interpret the tariff commentary regarding USMCA compliance and potential risks? A: Kevin Clark, CEO: With over 99% of our US-Mexico trade flows being USMCA compliant, our exposure is minimal. The main risk would be a shift to a US sourcing rule, but current guidance suggests this is unlikely.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.