Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $120.30 and last traded at $119.70, with a volume of 442339 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $118.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ALV shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Autoliv from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.64.

Autoliv Stock Up 0.0%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $114.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.31. The firm has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a positive change from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.20%.

Autoliv declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 4th that permits the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the auto parts company to buy up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autoliv

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 48.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 28.2% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Autoliv by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 30,538 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv in the 2nd quarter valued at $276,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv in the 2nd quarter valued at $252,000. Hedge funds and other 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.