Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on ALV. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Cowen began coverage on shares of Autoliv in a report on Thursday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC cut shares of Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $109.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Pareto Securities cut shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.14.

Autoliv Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE ALV opened at $90.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $96.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.28. Autoliv has a 1 year low of $87.55 and a 1 year high of $129.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Per Jonas Jademyr sold 401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.85, for a total value of $39,638.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,712.25. The trade was a 36.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $178,839.57. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 7,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $720,218.59. This trade represents a 19.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,550,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $165,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Autoliv by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 44,600 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Autoliv by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 61,398 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $5,759,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Autoliv by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 144,844 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $13,584,000 after acquiring an additional 14,180 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

About Autoliv

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.