Xponance Inc. Raises Holdings in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA)

Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,511 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Lear were worth $617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LEA. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of Lear by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 427 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Lear by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 9,957 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Lear by 13.8% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,105 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lear by 68.2% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Lear by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,526 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Lear Stock Performance

LEA opened at $95.84 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Lear Co. has a 12-month low of $86.28 and a 12-month high of $146.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a PE ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 2.17%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lear Co. will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.45%.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other Lear news, Director Rod Lache purchased 2,178 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,940.40. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LEA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cowen cut shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. TD Cowen lowered Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Lear from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Lear from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lear currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.36.

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.