Cambria Investment Management L.P. Acquires New Stake in Lear Corporation $LEA

Cambria Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 90,760 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,131,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Lear in the first quarter worth about $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lear in the first quarter worth about $256,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in Lear by 4.0% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 20,367 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its position in Lear by 7.1% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,736 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,305,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Lear Price Performance

Shares of LEA stock opened at $116.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $126.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.03. Lear Corporation has a 12 month low of $73.85 and a 12 month high of $142.84.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.74. The business had revenue of $5.99 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.94 EPS. Analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LEA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Lear from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays set a $140.00 target price on Lear in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Benchmark started coverage on Lear in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Lear from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lear currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.00.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other Lear news, VP Marianne Vidershain sold 1,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 $251,370. This represents a 46.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.51, for a total transaction of $1,345,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,741 shares in the company, valued at $3,058,891.91. This trade represents a 30.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 25,264 shares of company stock valued at $3,400,687 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Lear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish note calling LEA a “strong growth stock,” highlighting favorable style scores and growth prospects that may attract investors focused on earnings momentum and valuation metrics. Here’s Why Lear (LEA) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcript of Lear’s presentation at the Bank of America Global Automotive Summit was published; investor takeaway will depend on management’s forward commentary and execution details — presentations often reinforce strategy but rarely move the stock unless new guidance is provided. Lear Corporation (LEA) Presents at Bank of America Global Automotive Summit Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale: Lear’s EVP & President sold 7,133 shares (about $967k) on Feb. 26, trimming his direct stake by ~29.8%. Large insider dispositions can trigger short-term selling or concern among some investors even if not tied to company fundamentals. Lear EVP and President Sells 7,133 Shares for $967,000

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.