Short Interest in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) Declines By 15.2%

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of 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. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 837,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Autoliv Price Performance

ALV opened at $88.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.96, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.57. Autoliv has a 12-month low of $87.55 and a 12-month high of $129.38.

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

Autoliv Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ALV shares. Mizuho dropped their target price on Autoliv from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Autoliv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Pareto Securities cut shares of Autoliv to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Autoliv news, CEO Mikael Bratt sold 5,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $569,664.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Fredrik Westin sold 1,803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total value of $178,839.57. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 7,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,253 shares of company stock valued at $915,534. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Autoliv by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 6,344 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Autoliv by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,501 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in Autoliv by 0.6% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,456 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,820 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Autoliv by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 69.57% of the stock is 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.