Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $129.54 and last traded at $128.1530, with a volume of 130547 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $126.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALV has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Autoliv from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Monday, October 20th. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $134.00 target price on Autoliv in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Autoliv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.75.

Autoliv Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $120.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 17th. The auto parts company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 7.09% and a return on equity of 31.22%. Autoliv’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This is a positive change from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Autoliv by 110.3% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 204 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 1,892.3% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 259 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Autoliv in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Autoliv

Autoliv Inc (NYSE: ALV) is a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems, specializing in the design, development and manufacture of passive and active safety products. Its core product portfolio includes airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels, restraint control modules and pedestrian protection systems. In recent years, the company has also expanded into active safety technologies, offering radar, camera and sensor solutions that support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications.

Founded in 1997 following the spin-off of Electrolux’s automotive safety business, Autoliv has evolved into a multinational organization with a presence in over 27 countries.