Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stake in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,623,600 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 134,347 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.09% of Autoliv worth $152,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its position in Autoliv by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,146,500 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $670,270,000 after purchasing an additional 641,895 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Autoliv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,761,000. FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,382,265 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $223,433,000 after buying an additional 351,876 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 67.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 701,994 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $65,840,000 after buying an additional 284,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Autoliv by 69.3% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 321,080 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $30,114,000 after acquiring an additional 131,480 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

Autoliv Price Performance

Autoliv stock opened at $92.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.47. Autoliv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.49 and a 12-month high of $129.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $90.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.20.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. Autoliv’s payout ratio is currently 32.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Pareto Securities lowered shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Autoliv from $112.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Daiwa America raised Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price objective for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 23,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,305,062.30. This represents a 19.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $178,839.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $720,218.59. This trade represents a 19.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock worth $915,534. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Autoliv 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.