Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Autoliv from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on Autoliv from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America upped their target price on Autoliv from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Autoliv from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $125.90.

Autoliv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALV opened at $121.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $118.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.81. Autoliv has a 52 week low of $79.66 and a 52 week high of $125.91.

Autoliv Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Autoliv’s payout ratio is 42.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autoliv

In other news, VP Mikael Hagstrom sold 327 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total transaction of $35,868.63. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,868.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Autoliv news, EVP Anthony J. Nellis sold 760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $83,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $534,490. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Mikael Hagstrom sold 327 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total value of $35,868.63. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,868.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,606 shares of company stock worth $835,205 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FDx Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Autoliv in the first quarter valued at approximately $214,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in Autoliv by 181.9% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 10,754 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 6,939 shares during the last quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its holdings in Autoliv by 72.9% in the 1st quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 38,743 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $4,665,000 after acquiring an additional 16,338 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Autoliv by 97.1% during the first quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,972 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 5,899 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the first quarter valued at about $200,000. 69.57% of the stock is 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.