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Autoliv Q3 Earnings Miss Expectations, Guidance Trimmed

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Autoliv Inc. (ALV - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of $1.84 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2 but rose 11% year over year. The company reported net sales of $2.56 billion in the quarter, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.54 million but fell 1.6% year over year.

Stay up-to-date with the quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Organic sales fell 0.8% year over year and missed our estimate of 1.5% due to a negative light vehicle production mix in China. Autoliv reported adjusted operating income of $237 million, down 2.3% year over year. Adjusted operating margin was 9.3%, lower than 9.4% in the year-ago period due to the lower gross profit, higher selling, general and administrative costs and other expenses.

Autoliv, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Autoliv, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Autoliv, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Autoliv, Inc. Quote

Segmental Performance

Sales in the Airbags and Associated Products segment totaled $1.74 billion, lagging our projection of $1.85 billion. Revenues also fell 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. The major categories within the segment that reported a decline in organic sales include passenger airbags, inflatable curtains, knee airbags and driver airbags.

Sales in the Seatbelts and Associated Products segment totaled $819 million, down 2% from the prior-year quarter due to the decline in organic sales in China. The metric, however, surpassed our projection of $764.8 million. 

Region-wise, overall sales in the Americas during the quarter under review totaled $851 million, which missed our estimate of $929.3 million and decreased 7.2% year over year.

Sales in Europe totaled $700 million, which surpassed our forecast of $645.4 million and increased 8.4% year over year.

Sales in China came in at $495 million, missing our projection of $536.9 million and fell 8.1% year over year.

Sales in the Rest of Asia totaled $508 million, which increased 2.7% year over year and topped our projection of $500 million.

Financial Position

Autoliv had cash and cash equivalents of $415 million as of Sept. 30, 2024. Long-term debt totaled $1.59 billion. Operating cash flow in the quarter under review was $177 million and capital expenditure amounted to $145 million, resulting in a free cash flow of $32 million. In the quarter, ALV paid a dividend of 68 cents per share and repurchased 1.33 million shares.

ALV Revises 2024 Guidance

The company now forecasts full-year 2024 organic sales growth of around 1%, down from the earlier expectation of 2%. The adjusted operating margin is anticipated in the range of 9.5-10%. Operating cash flow is expected to be $1.1 billion in 2024.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Autoliv currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Modine Manufacturing Company (MOD - Free Report) , BYD Company Limited (BYDDY - Free Report) and Suzuki Motor Corporation (SZKMY - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOD’s fiscal 2025 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 8.44% and 18.77%, respectively. Earnings per share (EPS) estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have improved by a penny and 8 cents, respectively, in the past 30 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BYDDY’s 2024 earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 21.88%. EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved by 7 cents and 13 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SZKMY’s fiscal 2025 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 7.36% and 22.51%, respectively. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have improved by 78 cents and 99 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.


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