Lear (NYSE:LEA) CFO Sells $1,345,100.00 in Stock

Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) CFO Jason Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 22,741 shares in the company, valued at $3,058,891.91. The trade was a 30.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lear Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE LEA opened at $133.70 on Thursday. Lear Corporation has a 1 year low of $73.85 and a 1 year high of $142.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.32. The company has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

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

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LEA shares. Benchmark began coverage on Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Lear from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lear from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lear from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.27.

Trending Headlines about Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — LEA reported $3.41 EPS vs. $2.67 est. and revenue ahead of forecasts, reinforcing near-term fundamentals and analyst earnings assumptions. Lear Q4 earnings / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in February (≈17.1% decline to ~1.68M shares; short % ~3.3%; days-to-cover ≈2.2), reducing one source of downside pressure and lowering squeeze risk. (data release)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support — recent upgrades/target raises (Argus, Citi, TD Cowen) and reported large institutional buys (M&T Bank, Schroder, Norges Bank) suggest continued confidence from some sell‑side and large investors. Zacks: Why Lear is a Top Growth Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared (quarterly $0.77; ex-dividend Mar 5, payable Mar 25) — supports income-oriented holders and signals capital return discipline. (SEC/Market reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry and macro articles in the feed (AI/learning research, e-learning market pieces) are not specific to Lear and are unlikely to move the stock materially near term. Wharton Study on Structured AI
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling — several senior executives sold sizeable blocks in mid‑Feb (CFO and multiple SVPs, including a 6,630‑share sale by SVP Alicia Davis), which can sap sentiment and spark short‑term selling pressure. InsiderTrades: Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage remains mixed — despite some buy/strong‑buy calls, the consensus rating is still a “Hold” with a blended target near current levels, which limits near‑term upside from analyst revisions alone. (Market data)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lear

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

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.