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

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $122.46.

ALV has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd.

Autoliv Stock Up 1.1 %

ALV opened at $93.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.59. Autoliv has a 12 month low of $89.51 and a 12 month high of $129.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $96.49 and a 200 day moving average of $98.41.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The auto parts company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.16). Autoliv had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 30.85%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Autoliv will post 8.19 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This is a positive change from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Autoliv’s payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,504,605 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $607,335,000 after buying an additional 376,665 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Autoliv by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,567,281 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $239,707,000 after purchasing an additional 205,241 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Autoliv by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,316,874 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $140,892,000 after purchasing an additional 40,957 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 21.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 1,160,076 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $117,330,000 after purchasing an additional 207,521 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 10.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 987,375 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $92,221,000 after buying an additional 95,888 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

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.