Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.36.

LEA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lear from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Cowen lowered Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Lear Price Performance

LEA opened at $95.78 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $95.34 and a 200 day moving average of $99.17. The stock has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Lear has a 52-week low of $86.28 and a 52-week high of $147.11.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lear will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Lear’s payout ratio is 34.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lear

In other Lear news, Director Rod Lache purchased 2,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,178 shares in the company, valued at $199,940.40. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lear

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Lear by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,840 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Lear during the fourth quarter valued at $2,329,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lear in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Perennial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lear in the 4th quarter worth $3,002,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Lear by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 27,622 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,616,000 after acquiring an additional 2,874 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

About Lear

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.