Guggenheim Capital LLC Lowers Position in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA - Free Report) by 79.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,142 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 43,705 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Lear were worth $1,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mariner LLC raised its stake in Lear by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 7,290 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Lear by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 144,412 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $13,676,000 after buying an additional 9,363 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc bought a new position in Lear during the 4th quarter worth $453,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in Lear by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,265 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Lear by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,103 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 328 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company's stock.

Lear Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of LEA traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $84.69. 901,096 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 746,364. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.11. Lear Co. has a 52 week low of $73.85 and a 52 week high of $138.69. The company has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.47, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.34.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 14.70%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lear Co. will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Lear's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lear

In related news, Director Rod Lache purchased 2,178 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $91.80 per share, with a total value of $199,940.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $199,940.40. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on LEA shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Lear from $102.00 to $83.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $117.00) on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Cowen cut Lear from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Lear from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Lear in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $123.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $113.91.

Lear Profile

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.