LSV Asset Management Acquires 235,553 Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) by 73.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 556,633 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 235,553 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Autoliv were worth $49,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Autoliv by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 5,886 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,592 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,213,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Autoliv by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,433 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 6,909 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,338 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ALV shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Autoliv from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 77,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,041.76. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Autoliv Stock Down 1.2%

Autoliv stock opened at $110.26 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.70. Autoliv, Inc. has a one year low of $75.49 and a one year high of $118.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%. Autoliv’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.63%.

Autoliv declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 4th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the auto parts company to reacquire up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.