Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $82.24, but opened at $86.11. Autoliv shares last traded at $88.54, with a volume of 555,900 shares changing hands.

The auto parts company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ALV shares. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Autoliv from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $116.00 price objective on the stock. Pareto Securities lowered Autoliv to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Daiwa America raised Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $109.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $113.21.

Insider Activity at Autoliv

In other Autoliv news, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $178,839.57. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $720,218.59. This represents a 19.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Magnus Jarlegren sold 1,289 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $127,391.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $607,013.86. This represents a 17.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock worth $915,534 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 38.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 276,315 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,800,000 after acquiring an additional 76,510 shares in the last quarter. Lancaster Investment Management increased its stake in Autoliv by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Lancaster Investment Management now owns 568,821 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $53,350,000 after purchasing an additional 85,732 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth $394,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 41.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 30,216 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,821,000 after buying an additional 8,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth about $326,000. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Autoliv Stock Down 1.2 %

The company has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock's fifty day moving average is $90.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.34.

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.