Leuthold Group LLC Acquires 30,875 Shares of Lear Corporation $LEA

Leuthold Group LLC boosted its holdings in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 1,143.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,576 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 30,875 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Lear worth $3,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LEA. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Lear by 1,384.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 282 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in Lear in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Lear during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lear by 34.0% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lear by 100.0% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 454 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lear Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of LEA opened at $138.83 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.50. Lear Corporation has a one year low of $73.85 and a one year high of $142.84. The company has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 1.09 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.74. Lear had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 1.88%.The company had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.79%.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of Lear stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total transaction of $590,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,244 shares in the company, valued at $1,801,383.48. The trade was a 24.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Lear from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus upgraded Lear to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $135.10.

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.