Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on ALV. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Autoliv from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Autoliv in a report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Autoliv from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.06.

Autoliv Price Performance

Shares of ALV traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $117.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 732,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 812,219. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $104.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Autoliv has a fifty-two week low of $75.49 and a fifty-two week high of $118.34.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.63% and a return on equity of 30.47%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 4th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the auto parts company to repurchase up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv's payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autoliv

In other news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total value of $168,437.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ALV. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Autoliv by 93.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 327,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $28,967,000 after acquiring an additional 157,952 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc bought a new position in Autoliv during the first quarter worth $640,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in Autoliv during the first quarter worth $1,300,000. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Autoliv during the first quarter worth $423,000. Finally, Everstar Asset Management LLC increased its position in Autoliv by 138.2% during the first quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC now owns 7,371 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 4,276 shares during the period. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.