Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $118.57 and last traded at $118.77, with a volume of 58752 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $117.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Autoliv from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Autoliv from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.06.

Autoliv Stock Up 0.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $106.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.38.

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

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.88%. This is a positive change from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.22%.

Autoliv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director directly owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,041.76. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALV. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 418.3% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,483,726 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $219,686,000 after acquiring an additional 2,004,515 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Autoliv by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,146,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $670,270,000 after purchasing an additional 641,895 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 499,411 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,761,000. Finally, FIL Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,382,265 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $223,433,000 after acquiring an additional 351,876 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.