Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Autoliv from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a generally positive analyst tone around the auto parts company.
• Recent analyst activity remains constructive: several firms reiterated or initiated bullish views, and MarketBeat says Autoliv now has an average rating of Moderate Buy with a $135.00 target price.
• Autoliv also reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while the stock was up 0.6% and trading near $121.68 at the time of the article.

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

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ALV. Bank of America started coverage on Autoliv in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on Autoliv from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Autoliv from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Autoliv from $119.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $143.00 price objective on Autoliv in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.00.

Autoliv Stock Up 0.6%

ALV stock opened at $121.68 on Friday. Autoliv has a fifty-two week low of $97.51 and a fifty-two week high of $130.14. The business's 50-day moving average is $110.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.31.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, April 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 6.45%.The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.15 earnings per share. Autoliv's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 10.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Autoliv

In related news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 8,974 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 29,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,617,607.90. This trade represents a 23.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Per Jonas Jademyr sold 1,278 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.03, for a total value of $155,954.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,963 shares in the company, valued at $239,544.89. This trade represents a 39.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 22,243 shares of company stock worth $2,713,735 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALV. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Autoliv by 110.3% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 204 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Autoliv by 863.6% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 212 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors 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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