Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price objective on shares of Autoliv in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Autoliv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.46.

Autoliv Price Performance

Autoliv stock opened at $94.39 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.59. 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $96.88 and its 200-day moving average is $99.32.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The auto parts company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.16). Autoliv had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 30.85%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Autoliv will post 8.19 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. This is a positive change from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Autoliv’s payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALV. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Autoliv by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 43,254 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,628,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Autoliv in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $209,000. NBT Bank N A NY raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 2.7% during the second quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 20,679 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 18.4% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 34,564 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,698,000 after purchasing an additional 5,379 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the second quarter worth $156,000. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.