Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Stock

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $104.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the auto parts company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on ALV. Mizuho lifted their price target on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Autoliv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Autoliv from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Autoliv from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $123.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $115.53.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV stock traded up $2.68 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $114.58. 672,899 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 807,916. The company has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50-day moving average of $102.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.09. Autoliv has a twelve month low of $75.49 and a twelve month high of $115.25.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.43. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.63% and a return on equity of 30.47%. 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 prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Autoliv will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. This is a boost from Autoliv's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Autoliv announced that its board has authorized a stock 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 directly owned 77,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,394,041.76. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Autoliv by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 406,348 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $38,111,000 after buying an additional 15,202 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Autoliv by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,820 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,815,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $326,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.57% of the company's stock.

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.