Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Position in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,971 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 7,653 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Autoliv worth $16,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,820 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,815,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,095,000. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 1,378,636 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $133,259,000 after purchasing an additional 59,592 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALV traded down $1.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $115.59. 746,109 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 812,522. The firm has a market cap of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.37. Autoliv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.49 and a twelve month high of $118.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Autoliv announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 4th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the auto parts company to purchase up to 31.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of Autoliv stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Autoliv from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Autoliv from $108.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Six equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.31.

Autoliv Profile

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.