109,826 Shares in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Purchased by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP purchased a new position in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 109,826 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,401,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lear by 187.0% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lear by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Lear during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 233.3% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 410 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Lear in the third quarter worth about $50,000. 97.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEA opened at $95.63 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Lear Co. has a 1 year low of $86.28 and a 1 year high of $147.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $95.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.36.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its 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 net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 14.70%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.36.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other news, Director Rod Lache acquired 2,178 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.80 per share, with a total value of $199,940.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,940.40. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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.