Vanguard Group Inc. Has $157.78 Million Stock Position in Autoliv, Inc. $ALV

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its shareholding in Autoliv, Inc. by 1.6%, owning approximately 2.31% of the company post-sale, which amounts to around $157.8 million.
• Several hedge funds, including GAMMA Investing LLC and UMB Bank n.a., have significantly increased their positions in Autoliv, with the overall hedge fund ownership standing at 69.57%.
• Autoliv has announced a share buyback program worth $2.50 billion and increased its quarterly dividend from $0.70 to $0.85 per share, indicating strong financial health and confidence in valuations.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its stake in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,783,818 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 28,442 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 2.31% of Autoliv worth $157,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ALV. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 122.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 370 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Autoliv during the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Autoliv by 63.4% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 678 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Autoliv by 188.6% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 788 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Autoliv by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on ALV. UBS Group lifted their target price on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Autoliv from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $123.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. BNP Paribas upgraded Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $120.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 77,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Autoliv stock traded up $1.12 on Tuesday, reaching $125.34. 746,346 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 586,238. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $115.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Autoliv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.49 and a fifty-two week high of $125.66.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%.Autoliv's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv's payout ratio is presently 30.63%.

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

Autoliv Company 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.