Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $122.77.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ALV. StockNews.com upgraded Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Autoliv from $102.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $99.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 472,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 702,959. The stock has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.59. The business's 50-day moving average price is $96.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Autoliv has a 12 month low of $89.51 and a 12 month high of $129.38.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) 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 return on equity of 30.85% and a net margin of 5.98%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Autoliv will post 8.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Autoliv's payout ratio is presently 36.46%.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 6.1% during the third 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 period. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 8.7% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,567,281 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $239,707,000 after buying an additional 205,241 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 3.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,316,874 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $140,892,000 after buying an additional 40,957 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 21.8% during the second quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 1,160,076 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $117,330,000 after buying an additional 207,521 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 10.8% during 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

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.