Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 1,726,814 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 136% from the previous session’s volume of 730,990 shares.The stock last traded at $89.99 and had previously closed at $87.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Autoliv from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Cowen initiated coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Daiwa America upgraded Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen started coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.14.

Autoliv Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $96.41 and a 200 day moving average of $96.28. 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 $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Magnus Jarlegren sold 1,289 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $127,391.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $607,013.86. This trade represents a 17.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,305,062.30. This represents a 19.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Autoliv by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 273 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new stake in Autoliv during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Autoliv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.