Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $82.24, but opened at $86.11. Autoliv shares last traded at $88.54, with a volume of 555,900 shares.

The auto parts company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.43. Autoliv had a return on equity of 28.62% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.58 EPS.

Autoliv Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ALV. Pareto Securities cut shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Cowen initiated coverage on Autoliv in a report on Thursday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. HSBC downgraded Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Autoliv in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Autoliv from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Autoliv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.64.

Insider Transactions at Autoliv

In other Autoliv news, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of Autoliv 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 $720,218.59. The trade was a 19.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,712.25. This represents a 36.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ALV. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Autoliv by 139.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 273 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Autoliv by 122.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 370 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv in the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. 69.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autoliv Stock Down 0.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $90.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

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.