ALV vs STLA: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: STLA is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. ALV and STLA share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined ALV and STLA exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV) is the global leader in passive automotive safety, supplying airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels, and related components to essentially every major automaker. The company holds roughly a 44 to 45 percent share of the worldwide passive-safety market, well ahead of its nearest rivals, and generated about $10.8 billion in net sales in 2025. Its content sits inside cars regardless of powertrain, so it participates in electric, hybrid, and combustion vehicles alike, and demand is underpinned by rising safety regulation and the steady increase in safety content per vehicle.

Full ALV guide

Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's PSA Group. It sells vehicles worldwide under roughly a dozen and a half brands, including the profitable US trio of Jeep, Ram, and Dodge, plus Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Opel, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and others. It is one of the largest carmakers in the world by volume and lists in the US, Milan, and Paris. After a strong early run on high North American profits, the company hit a rough patch marked by falling US sales, bloated inventory, strained dealer and supplier relationships, and a costly, aggressive electric-vehicle strategy.

Full STLA guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• ALV drivers: Market leadership and safety content growth; Margin expansion and cost discipline.
• STLA drivers: Turnaround under a new CEO; Very low valuation, with capital returns on hold.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Autoliv's results are tightly linked to global light-vehicle production, which is cyclical and can fall sharply in a downturn. For STLA, the dominant risk is cyclicality: automakers' profits swing sharply with the economy, consumer confidence, and interest rates, so a downturn can quickly hurt sales and earnings.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick ALV if you believe its drivers more; STLA if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the ALV and STLA guides.

ALV. Autoliv trades at about 14 times trailing earnings and about 10 times forward, with an EV/EBITDA near 6.6, a typical auto-supplier multiple that reflects cyclicality despite its leading market position. Trailing net income has slipped to about $643 million from $735 million in 2025, but consensus looks for EPS of about $10.23 in 2026 and $11.62 in 2027. The Q3 report on October 23, 2026 is the next read on whether margins are holding against flat vehicle production.

STLA. At under ~0.1x sales and ~0.2x book, the market is pricing Stellantis for continued losses and cash burn rather than a recovery, which is why a forward multiple under ~4x on 2027 estimates draws little support. Second-quarter profit fell short of consensus and the shares have lost ~23% over three months. Third-quarter results on October 28, 2026 come with consensus for a small loss of about ~$0.18 per share on ~EUR 35.7 billion of revenue.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): ALV shows revenue (ttm) ~$11.1B, q2 2026 net sales ~$2.80B (up ~3.3% YoY), q2 2026 adjusted eps (actual vs est.) ~$2.43 vs ~$2.48, operating / net margin (ttm) ~9.6% / ~5.8%; STLA shows revenue (ttm) ~EUR 161 billion; Q2 2026 revenue ~EUR 43.5 billion, up ~13% year over year, margins ~6.6% gross, ~2.2% operating (TTM); Q2 2026 operating margin ~1.8%, net income ~EUR 19.5 billion TTM net loss, after a ~EUR 22.3 billion loss in 2025; Q2 2026 net profit ~EUR 266 million, forward p/e ~3.7x on 2027 consensus EPS of ~$1.20; no trailing P/E (loss).

ALV and STLA are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined ALV and STLA exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.