Park West Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

Park West Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) by 56.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 625,000 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 225,000 shares during the quarter. Autoliv accounts for approximately 4.7% of Park West Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Park West Asset Management LLC owned about 0.80% of Autoliv worth $58,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Autoliv by 139.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 273 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Autoliv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Autoliv by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,501 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.57% of the company's stock.

Autoliv Price Performance

Autoliv stock traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $94.22. The stock had a trading volume of 445,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 817,896. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50 day moving average is $89.44 and its 200 day moving average is $94.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.35. Autoliv, Inc. has a one year low of $75.49 and a one year high of $129.38.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Autoliv's payout ratio is currently 32.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Magnus Jarlegren sold 1,289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $127,391.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $607,013.86. This represents a 17.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total value of $178,839.57. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 7,261 shares in the company, valued at $720,218.59. The trade was a 19.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock worth $915,534. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on ALV shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Autoliv from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Autoliv from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $109.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen began coverage on Autoliv in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $116.00 price objective for the company. Cowen initiated coverage on Autoliv in a report on Thursday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Autoliv from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $109.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.00.

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.