Lear Corporation $LEA Holdings Lifted by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in Lear by 67.3% in Q4 to 464,439 shares (about $53.2M), and other large investors like M&T Bank also added sizable positions, leaving institutional holders with 97.04% of the company.
• Lear beat EPS estimates, reporting $3.87 versus a $3.51 consensus while revenue was $5.82B (slightly below estimates) and up 4.7% year‑over‑year; the company pays a $0.77 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.08, ~2.3% yield).
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently, disposing of 25,264 shares worth $3.4M over the last 90 days and leaving insider ownership at 1.02%.

UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - Free Report) by 67.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 464,439 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 186,809 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.90% of Lear worth $53,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LEA. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lear by 46,707.8% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 951,602 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $109,054,000 after buying an additional 949,569 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Lear during the second quarter valued at $39,656,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec purchased a new position in shares of Lear during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,984,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lear by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,569,341 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $157,891,000 after acquiring an additional 299,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Lear by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 496,353 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $49,938,000 after acquiring an additional 180,005 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lear news, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total transaction of $881,657.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,326,076.56. This represents a 39.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.31, for a total value of $954,170.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,374,929.13. The trade was a 28.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 25,264 shares of company stock worth $3,400,687 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Lear Stock Performance

LEA stock opened at $131.70 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.21. Lear Corporation has a 12 month low of $82.88 and a 12 month high of $142.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $122.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.22.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $5.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. Lear had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 14.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Lear's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lear from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $133.00 price target on shares of Lear in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lear from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Lear in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lear in a report on Thursday, February 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lear currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.38.

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.

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