Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from "buy" to "hold"; Jefferies also cut its rating and price target, though the analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target of $134.25.
• Autoliv beat Q1 expectations, reporting EPS of $2.05 versus $1.84 expected and revenue of $2.75B (vs. $2.61B), with revenue up 6.8% year-over-year and a 29.03% return on equity.
• Notable insider selling occurred recently—CEO Mikael Bratt sold 8,974 shares and insiders have sold 22,243 shares (~$2.71M) in the last 90 days, leaving insiders with 0.34% ownership.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Autoliv from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Autoliv from $119.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wolfe Research set a $143.00 price target on Autoliv in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Autoliv from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Autoliv has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.25.

Autoliv Stock Performance

ALV opened at $117.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.38 and a 200-day moving average of $117.68. Autoliv has a 52-week low of $90.58 and a 52-week high of $130.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 17th. The auto parts company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 6.45%.The firm's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Autoliv

In related news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 8,974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.51, for a total transaction of $1,108,378.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 29,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,617,607.90. The trade was a 23.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Franz-Josef Kortuem sold 8,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.40, for a total value of $999,320.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $668,099.60. This represents a 59.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 22,243 shares of company stock worth $2,713,735 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 448 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 552 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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