Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Receives $123.36 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.36.

LEA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Lear from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lear

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEA. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lear by 187.0% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lear by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Lear in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Lear by 233.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 410 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lear by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 491 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lear Stock Performance

NYSE LEA opened at $94.23 on Friday. Lear has a 12-month low of $86.28 and a 12-month high of $147.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $95.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.81. The company has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.54, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:LEA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts anticipate that Lear will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.45%.

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.