Swedbank AB Decreases Position in Autoliv, Inc. $ALV

Key Points

• Swedbank AB sold 602,162 shares of Autoliv, Inc., reducing its holdings by 24.1%, leaving it with 1,898,324 shares, valued at approximately $167.9 million.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Autoliv, with Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raising its stake by 418.3%, now owning over 2.4 million shares.
• Analyst ratings for Autoliv are mostly positive, with a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and a price target of $122.92, reflecting strong investor confidence.

Swedbank AB decreased its position in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 24.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,898,324 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 602,162 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 2.46% of Autoliv worth $167,907,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 418.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,483,726 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $219,686,000 after buying an additional 2,004,515 shares during the period. Lancaster Investment Management raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 58.8% in the 1st quarter. Lancaster Investment Management now owns 903,537 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $79,918,000 after acquiring an additional 334,716 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 73.4% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 556,633 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $49,234,000 after acquiring an additional 235,553 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,857,069 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $164,257,000 after acquiring an additional 233,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 93.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 327,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $28,967,000 after acquiring an additional 157,952 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Price Performance

Shares of ALV stock traded up $2.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $127.17. The stock had a trading volume of 238,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 777,405. Autoliv, Inc. has a one year low of $75.49 and a one year high of $127.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $118.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.57 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%.The business's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 4th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the auto parts company to buy up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Autoliv from $106.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Autoliv from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.92.

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.