Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Bank of America

Key Points

• Bank of America initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $140 price target (about 28% upside); the stock's consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $134.38 (nine Buys, five Holds).
• Autoliv beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $3.19 vs. $2.85 and revenue of $2.82B (up 7.7% YoY), showing strong profitability (ROE 30.42%) and sell‑side forecasts of roughly 9.51 EPS for the year.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently — including sales by the CEO — with 22,243 shares sold in the past 90 days, leaving insiders owning just 0.34% of the stock.

Bank of America began coverage on shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price target on the auto parts company's stock. Bank of America's price target points to a potential upside of 28.32% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on ALV. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Autoliv from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $146.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Autoliv from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $132.00 price objective on Autoliv in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Autoliv presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.38.

Autoliv Trading Down 1.2%

Autoliv stock opened at $109.10 on Thursday. Autoliv has a 12 month low of $84.60 and a 12 month high of $130.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.35. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $112.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.04.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The auto parts company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.85 by $0.34. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.05 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Magnus Jarlegren sold 1,598 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.61, for a total transaction of $194,332.78. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,739 shares of the company's stock, valued at $941,139.79. This trade represents a 17.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 8,974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.51, for a total value of $1,108,378.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 29,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,617,607.90. This represents a 23.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,243 shares of company stock worth $2,713,735. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Autoliv by 110.3% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 204 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 863.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 212 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Company Profile

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.

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