Lear Corporation $LEA Stock Holdings Boosted by Leuthold Group LLC

Key Points

• Leuthold Group LLC increased its Lear Corporation stake by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 47,513 shares valued at about $5.4 million.
• Analysts remain mostly cautious but generally constructive: JPMorgan and Barclays both raised price targets, while the broader consensus rating for Lear is still Hold with an average target of $140.54.
• Lear reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.87 per share and announced a $0.77 quarterly dividend, reflecting solid profitability and shareholder returns.

Leuthold Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - Free Report) by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,513 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,937 shares during the quarter. Leuthold Group LLC owned about 0.09% of Lear worth $5,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WealthCollab LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Lear by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 309 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in Lear by 94.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 458 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Lear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.77 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders. Lear Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its price target on Lear to $153 from $152 and reiterated an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish outlook for the stock. JPMorgan raises Lear price target
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays also lifted its price target on Lear to $150 from $140, suggesting analysts see more upside after the company’s recent earnings report. Barclays raises its price target on Lear Corporation
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlighted Lear as strengthening within the Russell 1000 and as a notable EV supply-chain name, but these items are more descriptive than immediately market-moving.
• Neutral Sentiment: News about Trump-Xi trade talks could matter for global auto parts sentiment, but the articles provided did not mention any Lear-specific tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, or demand changes.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lear from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lear from $126.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Benchmark began coverage on Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Argus raised Lear to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Lear in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lear has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total value of $881,657.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,076.56. This represents a 39.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.51, for a total value 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 $3,058,891.91. The trade was a 30.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 25,264 shares of company stock worth $3,400,687 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Lear Stock Performance

LEA opened at $132.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.21. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.15. Lear Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $86.14 and a fifty-two week high of $142.84.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $5.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 2.25%.The company's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 14.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lear's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.80%.

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.

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