Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Short Interest Up 10.6% in December

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,810,000 shares, an increase of 10.6% from the November 30th total of 2,540,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 785,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company's shares are short sold.

Autoliv Trading Up 0.9 %

ALV stock traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $93.79. 420,381 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 698,267. Autoliv has a fifty-two week low of $89.51 and a fifty-two week high of $129.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $96.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.65. The company has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 8.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.99%. This is a positive change from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 38.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 276,315 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,800,000 after purchasing an additional 76,510 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,684,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter worth $609,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 226.6% in the 3rd quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 19,842 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,852,000 after buying an additional 13,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Autoliv by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 987,375 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $92,221,000 after buying an additional 95,888 shares during the last quarter. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $116.00 price target on shares of Autoliv in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Autoliv presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.46.

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.