Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 190,971 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 7,653 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.25% of Autoliv worth $16,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in Autoliv by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,146,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $670,270,000 after acquiring an additional 641,895 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd increased its stake in Autoliv by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,382,265 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $223,433,000 after acquiring an additional 351,876 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,623,600 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $152,275,000 after acquiring an additional 134,347 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 1,378,636 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $133,259,000 after acquiring an additional 59,592 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,023,937 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $96,035,000 after acquiring an additional 113,500 shares during the period. 69.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Autoliv from $108.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Autoliv in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.31.

Autoliv Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE ALV opened at $117.72 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $106.75 and a 200-day moving average of $97.55. The company has a market cap of $9.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Autoliv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.49 and a 12 month high of $118.98.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. This is an increase from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Autoliv declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 4th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the auto parts company to purchase up to 31.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Autoliv

In other Autoliv news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total value of $168,437.60. Following the sale, the director owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at $8,394,041.76. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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