Lear Corporation $LEA Shares Purchased by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 158.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,049 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,390 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Lear were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEA. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Lear by 5,205.1% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,268 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 7,131 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Lear during the 1st quarter worth $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Lear during the 1st quarter worth $256,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lear by 37.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 968 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lear by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on LEA. Morgan Stanley set a $130.00 target price on shares of Lear in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Lear from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lear from $126.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 9,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326,076.56. The trade was a 39.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.31, for a total transaction of $954,170.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,374,929.13. The trade was a 28.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,264 shares of company stock worth $3,400,687. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lear News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A recent article pointed to “Lear’s Hidden Strength” amid Russell 1000 index buzz, suggesting the stock may be benefiting from improved market attention and momentum. Lear’s Hidden Strength In Russell 1000 Index Buzz
• Neutral Sentiment: Several of the other items in the feed are unrelated “learn” or education-themed headlines, plus articles about other companies and broader market topics, so they are unlikely to directly affect Lear’s stock today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lear’s recent earnings backdrop remains supportive: the company beat EPS estimates in its last report and revenue grew year over year, which may be helping investors stay constructive on the stock.

Lear Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of LEA stock opened at $137.72 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $123.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.21. Lear Corporation has a twelve month low of $86.14 and a twelve month high of $142.84.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $5.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. Lear had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 14.59 earnings per share for the current year.

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.