2,882 Shares in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Acquired by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Lear by 32.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 373 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Lear during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Lear by 131.9% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 443 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Lear by 21.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 622 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lear by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 873 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lear Stock Performance

NYSE LEA opened at $127.15 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $138.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.33. Lear Co. has a fifty-two week low of $117.79 and a fifty-two week high of $157.90.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The auto parts company reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 2.28%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.78 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lear Co. will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LEA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lear from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lear from $134.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Lear from $146.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Lear from $145.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Raymond E. Scott sold 10,652 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.86, for a total value of $1,415,224.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 13,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,810,483.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Raymond E. Scott sold 10,652 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.86, for a total value of $1,415,224.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 13,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,810,483.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.81, for a total value of $387,227.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,465,019.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.79% 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.