Lear (NYSE:LEA) SVP Alicia Davis Sells 6,630 Shares

Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) SVP Alicia Davis sold 6,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total transaction of $881,657.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,326,076.56. The trade was a 39.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Lear Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE LEA traded down $1.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $132.86. 373,459 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 567,484. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.64. The company has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.30. Lear Corporation has a 1-year low of $73.85 and a 1-year high of $142.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.74. The business had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.78 billion. Lear had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is 37.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LEA. Argus upgraded shares of Lear to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Lear from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Lear from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $140.00 target price on Lear in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.27.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lear

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Lear by 5,205.1% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,268 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 7,131 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Lear in the first quarter valued at about $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lear during the first quarter worth $256,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in Lear by 22.4% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in Lear by 4.3% during the second quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 20,802 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,976,000 after buying an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Lear Company Profile

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.