Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $112.70.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LEA shares. Bank of America lowered Lear from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $135.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Lear from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Lear from $123.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Lear from $116.00 to $109.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Lear from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LEA opened at $105.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Lear has a 1-year low of $73.85 and a 1-year high of $115.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $104.24 and its 200 day moving average is $95.01.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.89 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 2.05%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.60 EPS. Lear has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lear will post 12.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 3rd. Lear’s payout ratio is currently 35.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.47, for a total value of $492,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 20,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,993,426.68. This represents a 19.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Raymond E. Scott sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.77, for a total value of $483,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 38,729 shares in the company, valued at $3,747,805.33. This represents a 11.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lear

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LEA. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lear by 0.8% during the second quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 13,846 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Lear by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,158 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Lear by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 6,785 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Lear by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,709 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in Lear by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 24,918 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,367,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lear

Lear Corporation designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, assembles, and supplies automotive seating, and electrical distribution systems and related components for automotive original equipment manufacturers in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Its Seating segment offers seat systems, seat subsystems, keyseat components, seat trim covers, seat mechanisms, seat foams, and headrests, as well as surface materials, such as leather and fabric for automobiles and light trucks, compact cars, pick-up trucks, and sport utility vehicles.