Investors might want to bet on American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE: AXL), as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change. The Zacks rating relies solely on a company's changing earnings picture. It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell-side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure -- the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Since a changing earnings picture is a powerful factor influencing near-term stock price movements, the Zacks rating system is very useful for individual investors. They may find it difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, as these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. Therefore, the Zacks rating upgrade for American Axle basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price. Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock Prices The change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate ...