Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Receives $123.36 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.36.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LEA shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lear from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Cowen downgraded Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Lear from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Lear Stock Down 0.8 %

LEA stock opened at $95.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Lear has a 1-year low of $86.28 and a 1-year high of $146.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $95.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.58.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 2.17%. Equities analysts forecast that Lear will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Lear’s payout ratio is 34.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lear news, Director Rod Lache purchased 2,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $91.80 per share, with a total value of $199,940.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,178 shares in the company, valued at $199,940.40. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lear

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lear by 39.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,221 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,316,000 after purchasing an additional 6,055 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lear by 24.1% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 45,998 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $5,021,000 after buying an additional 8,937 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lear in the third quarter worth $362,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lear by 44.0% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,570 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Lear during the third quarter valued at $1,946,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% 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.