International Assets Investment Management LLC Makes New $1.36 Million Investment in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA)

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,602 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,356,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LEA. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lear by 4.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 10,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lear during the 1st quarter worth approximately $657,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Lear by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 19,834 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 8,878 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Lear by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,948 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC grew its position in shares of Lear by 62.8% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 39,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $5,598,000 after buying an additional 15,137 shares in the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEA opened at $132.86 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $138.94 and a 200-day moving average of $135.87. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lear Co. has a twelve month low of $117.79 and a twelve month high of $157.90.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.12 by ($0.09). Lear had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 2.44%. The business had revenue of $5.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lear Co. will post 14.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Lear’s payout ratio is presently 31.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LEA shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lear from $130.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Lear from $195.00 to $179.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Lear from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Lear from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.81, for a total transaction of $387,227.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,465,019.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Raymond E. Scott sold 10,652 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.86, for a total transaction of $1,415,224.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,810,483.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 2,750 shares of Lear stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.81, for a total value of $387,227.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,465,019.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

About Lear

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.