Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $117.14.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Pareto Securities downgraded shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Autoliv from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $116.00 target price on the stock. Cowen assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV stock opened at $91.45 on Friday. Autoliv has a 52-week low of $87.55 and a 52-week high of $129.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $95.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.64.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. Analysts predict that Autoliv will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autoliv

In other news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $569,664.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,305,062.30. The trade was a 19.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total value of $178,839.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $720,218.59. This trade represents a 19.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALV. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Autoliv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,550,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Autoliv during the 4th quarter valued at $165,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 2.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Autoliv by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 61,398 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $5,759,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 14,180 shares in the last quarter. 69.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autoliv Company Profile

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.