Lear (NYSE:LEA) Now Covered by Benchmark

Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lear (NYSE:LEA) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $170.00 target price on the auto parts company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on LEA. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lear from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Lear from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lear from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Lear in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.27.

Lear Stock Up 0.5%

LEA opened at $134.71 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $124.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. Lear has a fifty-two week low of $73.85 and a fifty-two week high of $142.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.74. Lear had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The business had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.94 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lear will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Lear’s payout ratio is currently 37.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lear

In related news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total value of $590,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,801,383.48. This represents a 24.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lear

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LEA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Lear in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lear during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lear by 942.3% during the 4th 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. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lear during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Lear by 62.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 309 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage of Lear with a “Buy” recommendation — a formal analyst endorsement that can draw institutional interest and support the share price; this follows Lear’s Feb. 4 quarter where EPS ($3.41) and revenue ($5.99B) both beat consensus, giving the firm momentum. Benchmark initiates coverage of Lear (LEA) with buy recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: AI research commentary (Yann LeCun) highlights that current LLMs still fall short of human-like learning for real-world tasks such as driving — a reminder that timelines for full vehicle autonomy remain uncertain, which keeps the demand curve for some advanced automotive components (and related supplier investments) ambiguous for investors in component suppliers like Lear. Yann LeCun Says LLMs Are ‘Incredibly’ Useful, But AI Still Can’t Learn To Drive A Car Like A 17-Year Old

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.