Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to Hold Rating

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on ALV. Barclays decreased their target price on Autoliv from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Autoliv from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Autoliv from $119.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $116.00 target price on Autoliv in a report on Monday, April 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Autoliv currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.87.

Autoliv Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NYSE:ALV opened at $121.94 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.08. Autoliv has a 1 year low of $99.16 and a 1 year high of $132.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.72.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, April 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 6.45%.The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 10.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.42%.

Insider Activity

In other Autoliv news, Director Jan Carlson sold 19,607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $2,548,910.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 60,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,800,000. This represents a 24.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 110.3% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 204 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 863.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 212 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Autoliv

Autoliv Inc (NYSE: ALV) is a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems, specializing in the design, development and manufacture of passive and active safety products. Its core product portfolio includes airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels, restraint control modules and pedestrian protection systems. In recent years, the company has also expanded into active safety technologies, offering radar, camera and sensor solutions that support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications.

Founded in 1997 following the spin-off of Electrolux’s automotive safety business, Autoliv has evolved into a multinational organization with a presence in over 27 countries.