Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $84.81 and last traded at $85.29, with a volume of 406932 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $90.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ALV. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Pareto Securities downgraded Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.14.

Autoliv Trading Down 6.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $94.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.49. 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) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 EPS 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s payout ratio is 34.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Magnus Jarlegren sold 1,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $127,391.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $607,013.86. The trade was a 17.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $569,664.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,307 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,305,062.30. The trade was a 19.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock worth $915,534. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Autoliv by 139.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 273 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in Autoliv by 74.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in Autoliv in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Autoliv during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at about $155,000. 69.57% of the stock is 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.