Brokerages Set Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) PT at $120.64

Key Points

• Analysts have given Autoliv, Inc. a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with 12 analysts recommending buy ratings and an average 12-month price target of $120.64.
• Autoliv recently reported earnings of $2.21 per share, exceeding estimates and achieving revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.85 per share and authorized a share buyback plan of up to $2.50 billion, indicating strong financial confidence.

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $120.6429.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Autoliv from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 target price for the company.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of ALV stock traded up $4.1020 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $124.1820. The company had a trading volume of 432,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,312. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $114.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.52. Autoliv has a 52-week low of $75.49 and a 52-week high of $124.82. The stock has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.14. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%.The company had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Autoliv will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued 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 2.7%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Autoliv's payout ratio is 30.63%.

Autoliv declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the auto parts company to reacquire up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the sale, the director owned 77,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,517,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $281,741,000 after acquiring an additional 34,064 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,397,735 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $268,307,000 after acquiring an additional 499,411 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,857,069 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $164,257,000 after acquiring an additional 233,469 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 83.3% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,020,082 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $114,147,000 after acquiring an additional 463,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 999,506 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $111,845,000 after acquiring an additional 206,200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

About Autoliv

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.