Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Position Boosted by Caxton Associates LP

Caxton Associates LP raised its holdings in shares of Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) by 63.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,734 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,236 shares during the quarter. Caxton Associates LP’s holdings in Lear were worth $831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Lear by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 373 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Lear by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 18,393 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,665,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lear by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,828 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Lear by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,828 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $989,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Lear by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Lear Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of LEA stock opened at $121.10 on Wednesday. Lear Co. has a 12 month low of $112.26 and a 12 month high of $157.90. The firm has a market cap of $6.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.33 and a 200-day moving average of $129.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $3.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 14.75% and a net margin of 2.30%. Lear’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lear Co. will post 13.41 EPS for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 6th were paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 6th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Lear’s payout ratio is 33.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Lear from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lear from $132.00 to $131.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley raised Lear from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lear from $179.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $157.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lear

In other Lear news, Director Conrad L. Mallett, Jr. sold 1,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.55, for a total value of $159,174.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Greg C. Smith sold 2,392 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.86, for a total transaction of $296,273.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Conrad L. Mallett, Jr. sold 1,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.55, for a total value of $159,174.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Lear Company 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.