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

Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $122.77.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Autoliv from $119.00 to $108.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Autoliv from $102.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Autoliv in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of 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, StockNews.com raised shares of Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALV. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Autoliv by 62.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Autoliv by 133.5% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 362 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv in the third quarter valued at $45,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 14.0% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 954 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the second quarter valued at about $156,000. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Autoliv Price Performance

Autoliv stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $97.95. The stock had a trading volume of 617,508 shares, compared to its average volume of 705,837. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.59. Autoliv has a 1-year low of $89.51 and a 1-year high of $129.38. The stock's fifty day moving average is $95.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.83.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.16). The firm 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 for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Autoliv will post 8.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.42%.

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.