Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Lear Corporation has a consensus analyst rating of “Hold” from 15 research firms, with an average 12-month price target of about $143.08.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.87 EPS versus the $3.51 forecast, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year.
• Lear also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.77 per share and has seen notable insider selling, including sales by its SVP and CFO in recent weeks.

Shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.0769.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark assumed coverage on Lear in a report on Thursday, February 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Lear from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $133.00 price objective on Lear in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Lear from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Lear from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Nicholas Jon Roelli sold 2,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.38, for a total transaction of $330,263.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at $330,687.82. The trade was a 49.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.50, for a total value of $737,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,241 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,953,047.50. The trade was a 27.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,026 shares of company stock valued at $1,729,748 in the last three months. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Lear during the 1st quarter worth $5,658,000. Bull Harbor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lear in the 1st quarter valued at about $238,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 36.5% in the 1st quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 303 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 308.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 49,064 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $5,941,000 after purchasing an additional 37,048 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 40.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,298 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Lear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.87 per share versus the $3.51 consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year. That stronger-than-expected operating performance likely continues to support investor confidence in the auto supplier’s outlook. Lear earnings and stock data
• Positive Sentiment: The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.77 per share, or $3.08 annualized, which can help attract income-focused investors and support the stock. Lear dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Conrad L. Mallett, Jr. sold 190 shares for about $26,855. The sale is relatively small and looks more routine than like a meaningful shift in insider sentiment. SEC insider filing

Lear Price Performance

LEA stock opened at $145.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.23. Lear has a 12-month low of $89.29 and a 12-month high of $150.33. The business's fifty day moving average price is $133.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.16.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $5.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 2.25%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lear will post 14.61 EPS for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. Lear's payout ratio is presently 30.80%.

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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