Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded at BNP Paribas

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at BNP Paribas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

ALV has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on Autoliv from $112.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Autoliv from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Cowen started coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Pareto Securities lowered shares of Autoliv to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $116.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Autoliv has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.79.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV stock opened at $98.04 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.10. Autoliv has a 52 week low of $75.49 and a 52 week high of $129.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.43. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. The firm had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Autoliv will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at $720,218.59. This represents a 19.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $569,664.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,307 shares in the company, valued at $2,305,062.30. This represents a 19.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Autoliv by 4.8% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,169 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $219,686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,004,515 shares during the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA boosted its stake in Autoliv by 289.0% in the 1st quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 16,327 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 12,130 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in Autoliv by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 76,194 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 15,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Autoliv by 73.4% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 556,633 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $49,234,000 after purchasing an additional 235,553 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.

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