Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $101.32, but opened at $96.91. Autoliv shares last traded at $97.51, with a volume of 198,073 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird increased 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. HSBC downgraded Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Daiwa America raised Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Autoliv currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $117.23.

Autoliv Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 earnings per share 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 analysts expect that Autoliv, Inc. will post 10.05 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This is a positive change from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio is 34.70%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ALV. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 6.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,504,605 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $607,335,000 after acquiring an additional 376,665 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its position in Autoliv by 8.7% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,567,281 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $239,707,000 after buying an additional 205,241 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 83.9% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 417,992 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $39,028,000 after buying an additional 190,654 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 21.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 910,437 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $85,008,000 after acquiring an additional 159,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Autoliv by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 210,989 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $19,700,000 after acquiring an additional 102,362 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Company Profile

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.