Signet Financial Management LLC Makes New $340,000 Investment in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV)

Signet Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,844 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ALV. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Autoliv by 188.6% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 788 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the fourth quarter worth $155,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.57% of the company’s stock.

Autoliv Stock Performance

Autoliv stock opened at $107.83 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $94.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.94. Autoliv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.49 and a twelve month high of $118.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The auto parts company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Autoliv had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 28.62%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This is an increase from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.13%.

Autoliv declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the auto parts company to repurchase up to 31.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Autoliv from $103.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on Autoliv from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Cowen started coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Autoliv from $95.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Autoliv presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.00.

Autoliv 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.