Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Autoliv in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 target price on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.46.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV opened at $94.39 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G 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 quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.32.

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

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. This is a boost from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Autoliv by 133.5% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 362 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 954 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $156,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv in the 2nd quarter valued at $209,000. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.