Autoliv, Inc. $ALV Shares Bought by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Autoliv, Inc. by 14.4% during the 1st quarter, now owning 1,857,069 shares worth approximately $164.26 million.
• Several other major investors have significantly increased their positions in Autoliv, with Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosting its stake by 418.3% during the same period.
• Autoliv declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.85 per share, reflecting strong financial performance and a shareholder-friendly approach amidst a share buyback program authorized for up to $2.50 billion.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 14.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,857,069 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 233,469 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.40% of Autoliv worth $164,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ALV. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Autoliv by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,411 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the 1st quarter worth approximately $490,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Autoliv during the 1st quarter valued at $407,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Autoliv by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 148,557 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $13,140,000 after buying an additional 24,586 shares during the period. 69.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of ALV traded up $4.1020 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $124.1820. 432,996 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 601,312. Autoliv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.49 and a 12-month high of $124.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $114.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.52.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.14. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%.The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.57 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.87 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 repurchase up to 31.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change 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 30.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 77,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,394,041.76. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ALV. Mizuho increased their price target on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Autoliv from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Autoliv currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.64.

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.