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

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed but cautious: Lear currently has an average “Hold” recommendation from 15 analysts, with 11 holds, 3 buys, and 1 strong buy. The average 1-year target price is about $140.54.
• Recent earnings topped expectations: Lear reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, beating consensus estimates of $3.51, while revenue came in at $5.82 billion, slightly below expectations. Quarterly revenue still rose 4.7% year over year.
• The company continues to return cash to shareholders: Lear announced a quarterly dividend of $0.77 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.4%. The dividend is set to be paid on June 23, with an ex-dividend date of June 3.

Shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.5385.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LEA. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Lear from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Lear in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Argus raised Lear to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Lear from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $130.00 target price on Lear in a report on Monday, May 4th.

Trending Headlines about Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Lear as a top momentum stock for the long term, which can support investor confidence in the company’s technical and style-score profile. Why Lear (LEA) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Another momentum-focused article echoed that Lear may remain attractive to long-term investors, reinforcing the stock’s relative strength narrative. Why Lear (LEA) is a top momentum stock for the long term
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about Tulane’s production of King Lear is unrelated to Lear Corporation’s fundamentals or stock performance. King Lear opens season at Tulane’s New Orleans Shakespeare Festival
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America Securities moved Lear to Hold, which may have dampened enthusiasm and contributed to the stock’s weakness. Lear (LEA) Gets a Hold from Bank of America Securities

Insider Transactions at Lear

In other Lear news, VP Marianne Vidershain sold 1,590 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $214,650.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,058,891.91. This represents a 30.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 25,264 shares of company stock worth $3,400,687 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its stake in shares of Lear by 36.5% in the first quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 303 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Lear by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 676 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lear by 0.5% in the first quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 17,404 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,107,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lear by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,147 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lear by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company's stock.

Lear Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:LEA opened at $128.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Lear has a 1 year low of $86.14 and a 1 year high of $142.84. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $124.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.64.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Lear will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Lear's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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