Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Stake Boosted by Semanteon Capital Management LP

Semanteon Capital Management LP lifted its position in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) by 49.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,657 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,180 shares during the period. Lear comprises 0.8% of Semanteon Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Semanteon Capital Management LP’s holdings in Lear were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Lear during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lear by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Lear by 233.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 410 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Lear in the third quarter worth $50,000. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lear Price Performance

NYSE LEA opened at $95.78 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $95.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.17. Lear Co. has a 1 year low of $86.28 and a 1 year high of $147.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 forecast that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. Lear’s payout ratio is currently 34.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Lear from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. TD Cowen cut shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lear presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.36.

Insider Activity

In other Lear news, Director Rod Lache bought 2,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,940.40. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Lear 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.