Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) saw a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,730,000 shares, a decline of 15.2% from the February 28th total of 2,040,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 837,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Autoliv Stock Performance

ALV traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $90.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 183,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 780,710. The company’s 50-day moving average is $95.10 and its 200-day moving average is $95.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. Autoliv has a 52 week low of $87.55 and a 52 week high of $129.38.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.21. Autoliv had a return on equity of 28.62% and a net margin of 6.21%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Autoliv will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors 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 yield of 3.09%. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on ALV. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Pareto Securities lowered shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Daiwa America raised Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.14.

Insider Transactions at Autoliv

In related news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value of $569,664.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,305,062.30. This represents a 19.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total value of $178,839.57. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Autoliv

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ALV. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 0.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 487,629 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $45,530,000 after acquiring an additional 4,060 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Autoliv by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,482 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 234.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 74,199 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $6,928,000 after purchasing an additional 52,000 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Autoliv by 733.2% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 45,094 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,210,000 after buying an additional 39,682 shares during the period. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new position in Autoliv in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.