Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 28,442 Shares of 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 position in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,783,818 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 28,442 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 2.31% of Autoliv worth $157,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,623,600 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $152,275,000 after buying an additional 134,347 shares during the period. Lancaster Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 58.8% in the first quarter. Lancaster Investment Management now owns 903,537 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $79,918,000 after buying an additional 334,716 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 13.0% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 793,306 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $70,168,000 after buying an additional 91,312 shares during the period. Park West Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Park West Asset Management LLC now owns 625,000 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $58,619,000 after buying an additional 225,000 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 73.4% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 556,633 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $49,234,000 after buying an additional 235,553 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 77,493 shares in the company, valued at $8,394,041.76. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Autoliv Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE ALV traded up $4.1020 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $124.1820. The company's stock had a trading volume of 432,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,312. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.39. Autoliv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.49 and a 12 month high of $124.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.57.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.14. The business 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 4th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the auto parts company to buy up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This is an increase from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Autoliv from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $123.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Autoliv in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $105.00) on shares of Autoliv in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.64.

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.