Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Stake Lessened by WBI Investments LLC

WBI Investments LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) by 37.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,317 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 8,555 shares during the quarter. WBI Investments LLC’s holdings in Autoliv were worth $1,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Autoliv by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Autoliv by 269.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 872 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 922 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 1,339 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 69.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Autoliv from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Mizuho increased their price target on Autoliv from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Autoliv from $117.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Autoliv has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.22.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ALV traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $124.93. 406,419 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 533,494. The company has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $120.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.69. Autoliv, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.66 and a 52 week high of $127.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The auto parts company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 29.84%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. Autoliv’s payout ratio is currently 42.43%.

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.