Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $93.89, but opened at $100.06. Autoliv shares last traded at $99.12, with a volume of 488,331 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Autoliv to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Autoliv from $128.00 to $111.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America dropped their target price on Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Autoliv in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.43.

Autoliv Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $96.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The auto parts company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.57). The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.73 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 30.05%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Autoliv, Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 4th. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Autoliv by 62.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 133.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 362 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Autoliv by 427.6% during the 1st quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 823 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Autoliv by 244.4% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 837 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.