Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Autoliv from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Autoliv from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.64.

Autoliv Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE ALV opened at $117.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.01 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.06. Autoliv has a 12-month low of $75.49 and a 12-month high of $118.98.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The auto parts company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.14. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 6.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 4th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the auto parts company to purchase up to 31.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Autoliv

In related news, Director Jan Carlson sold 1,555 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 77,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,041.76. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SouthState Corp acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Autoliv by 122.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 370 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Autoliv in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Autoliv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Autoliv by 63.4% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 678 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. 69.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.