Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $117.14.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ALV. TD Cowen began coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target for the company. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Autoliv from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Daiwa America raised Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $109.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Transactions at Autoliv

In related news, EVP Per Jonas Jademyr sold 401 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.85, for a total transaction of $39,638.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,712.25. This trade represents a 36.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value 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. This represents a 19.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at $2,550,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth about $165,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted 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 worth $4,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted 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 worth $5,759,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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 worth $13,584,000 after purchasing an additional 14,180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of ALV opened at $90.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $96.05 and a 200 day moving average of $95.89. Autoliv has a 12 month low of $87.55 and a 12 month high of $129.38.

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

Autoliv Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s payout ratio is currently 34.70%.

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.