Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Reduces Position in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its stake in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,728 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 9,817 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.14% of Autoliv worth $9,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Autoliv by 74.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Autoliv in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $155,000. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Autoliv

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.32, for a total transaction of $168,437.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 77,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,394,041.76. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Autoliv Price Performance

Autoliv stock traded up $1.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $109.97. 587,660 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 814,162. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.96. Autoliv, Inc. has a one year low of $75.49 and a one year high of $116.16. The stock has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.03.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. The company had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This is a positive change from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio is 39.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ALV shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Cowen began coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Barclays raised their target price on Autoliv from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Autoliv from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.00.

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.