Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 106,414 Shares of Lear Corporation $LEA

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,660,681 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 106,414 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.84% of Lear worth $670,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LEA. WealthCollab LLC bought a new position in Lear in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Lear during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Lear by 34.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Lear by 100.0% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 454 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Lear by 130.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 470 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LEA shares. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lear in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays set a $140.00 price objective on Lear in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lear from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lear from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lear news, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total transaction of $881,657.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,076.56. This trade represents a 39.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.51, for a total transaction of $1,345,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 22,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,058,891.91. The trade was a 30.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 28,630 shares of company stock valued at $3,771,777 over the last quarter. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Lear reported $3.41 EPS vs. $2.67 est. and revenue above consensus, reinforcing the company’s underlying fundamentals and supporting earnings momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend & payout profile — Lear announced a $0.77 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.08, ~2.3% yield) with ex-dividend on March 5; steady payout and a sub-40% DPR can support investor demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Multiple firms have raised price targets or reiterated positive views (Citigroup, Argus, TD Cowen among others), leaving consensus near a modest premium to current levels and providing analyst-driven support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum recognition — Zacks highlighted LEA as a strong momentum stock, which can attract momentum-focused flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional positions — Recent filings show material increases by institutions (M&T, Schroders, Norges Bank, others). High institutional ownership can stabilize volume but also concentrate risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares on Feb. 19 at ~$134.51 (≈$1.345M), reducing his stake by ~30.5%; CFO sales typically attract scrutiny. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: SVP sales — Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares at ~$136.31 on Feb. 19 (≈$954k), cutting his holding by ~28.7%. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: More insider selling — SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares at ~$132.98 on Feb. 19 (≈$882k), a ~39.9% reduction; multiple senior-exec sales in close timing raise short-term sentiment risk. Read More.

Lear Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEA opened at $132.86 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $124.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.30. Lear Corporation has a one year low of $73.85 and a one year high of $142.84.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.74. Lear had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 1.88%.The business had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Lear’s payout ratio is presently 37.79%.

About Lear

Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA) is a global supplier of automotive seating and electrical distribution systems. The company designs, engineers and manufactures complete seat systems, seat components and power solutions for major vehicle manufacturers. Its electrical business delivers modules and components for battery management, infotainment, body and safety electronics, as well as advanced connectivity and electrification solutions.

The seating division develops lightweight, ergonomic seat structures, trim and mechanisms that address comfort, safety and environmental targets.