Marianne Vidershain Sells 1,590 Shares of Lear (NYSE:LEA) Stock

Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) VP Marianne Vidershain sold 1,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $214,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $251,370. This represents a 46.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LEA traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $133.36. The company had a trading volume of 146,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 540,393. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.32. 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 cap of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. Lear Corporation has a 12 month low of $73.85 and a 12 month high of $142.84.

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

Lear Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lear

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lear by 134.9% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 25,951 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after purchasing an additional 14,904 shares during the period. Capital Management Corp VA acquired a new position in Lear in the third quarter worth approximately $2,295,000. Meritage Portfolio Management bought a new position in shares of Lear in the third quarter valued at $3,268,000. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lear by 2,060.5% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 104,720 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $10,009,000 after acquiring an additional 99,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Lear by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 570,048 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $57,353,000 after acquiring an additional 20,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Lear from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lear from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a clear beat: Lear reported $3.41 EPS and revenue of $5.99B for the quarter, topping estimates and signaling solid margin recovery and revenue growth — a supportive fundamental underlayer for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest declined materially in February (down ~17.1% to ~1.68M shares as of Feb. 13), lowering potential short-covering risk; days-to-cover sits near 2.2, and about 3.3% of shares are sold short.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish analyst/media coverage highlights Lear as a top growth name, which can sustain investor interest and longer-term demand. Why Lear (LEA) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume today was below the stock’s average, which can amplify price moves on relatively small order flows — watch volume to validate any directional move.
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale was reported (Alicia Davis sold 6,630 shares), which can be perceived as a near-term negative signal by some investors. Alicia Davis Sells 6,630 Shares of Lear (NYSE:LEA) Stock

Lear Company Profile

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.