Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Autoliv from $108.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $121.19.

Autoliv Stock Down 4.1%

NYSE ALV traded down $4.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $112.00. 1,595,733 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 812,896. Autoliv has a twelve month low of $75.49 and a twelve month high of $118.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.37. The business's 50-day moving average is $108.84 and its 200-day moving average is $98.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.97.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.14. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.47% and a net margin of 6.63%. The company had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Autoliv will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Autoliv announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the auto parts company to reacquire up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Autoliv news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $8,394,041.76. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 641,895 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Autoliv by 418.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,483,726 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $219,686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,004,515 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 26.3% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,397,735 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $268,307,000 after buying an additional 499,411 shares during the period. FIL Ltd lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 351,876 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,857,069 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $164,257,000 after purchasing an additional 233,469 shares during the period. 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.