Towle & Co. Has $6.79 Million Holdings in Lear Corporation $LEA

Towle & Co. decreased its position in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 36.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,123 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 31,692 shares during the quarter. Lear accounts for approximately 2.6% of Towle & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Towle & Co. owned 0.11% of Lear worth $6,795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LEA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lear during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. WealthCollab LLC bought a new position in Lear in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Lear during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Lear by 62.6% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 309 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Lear by 942.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 271 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LEA shares. TD Cowen raised Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $138.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Lear from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lear from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Lear from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Lear from $177.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lear presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lear

In other Lear news, CEO Raymond E. Scott sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.37, for a total value of $6,768,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 49,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,739,936.93. This represents a 50.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Nicholas Jon Roelli sold 2,336 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.38, for a total transaction of $330,263.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $330,687.82. The trade was a 49.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 62,026 shares of company stock valued at $8,498,248. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces argued that Lear is a strong value stock and may be undervalued versus peers, potentially drawing in bargain-focused investors. Why Lear (LEA) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note compared Lear with Modine and suggested investors are evaluating LEA as the better value opportunity, which may bolster relative-strength sentiment. LEA or MOD: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: An MSN repost also described Lear as a top value stock for the long term, reinforcing the broader valuation narrative around LEA. Why Lear (LEA) is a top value stock for the long term
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market articles about tech selling off, AI, and education-related topics do not appear directly tied to Lear’s fundamentals or near-term outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: No major new company-specific earnings, guidance, or deal announcements were included in the latest articles.

Lear Price Performance

Shares of LEA opened at $142.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 14.26, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.25. Lear Corporation has a 12-month low of $91.67 and a 12-month high of $150.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.31.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The auto parts company reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $5.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 2.25%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 14.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.80%.

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.