American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 299,841 Shares of Lear Corporation $LEA

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,569,341 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 299,841 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 3.03% of Lear worth $157,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in shares of Lear by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,801,284 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $171,086,000 after purchasing an additional 775,476 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Lear by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 680,931 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $68,508,000 after purchasing an additional 31,203 shares in the last quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP raised its stake in Lear by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP now owns 612,218 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $58,148,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its position in Lear by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 570,048 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $57,353,000 after acquiring an additional 20,900 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lear in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,468,000. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Lear Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:LEA opened at $131.10 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.26. Lear Corporation has a 52-week low of $73.85 and a 52-week high of $142.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $125.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.74. Lear had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 1.88%.The company had revenue of $5.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. Evercore increased their price objective on Lear from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Lear from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Lear from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, Lear has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear won a major Ford contract after Forvia lost the business — a direct revenue/market-share gain for Lear that supports future sales and backlog. Forvia loses major Ford contract to Lear
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently reported a solid quarter, beating EPS and revenue estimates and showing year-over-year revenue growth — this underpins the improved earnings outlook analysts are using. Lear earnings and company profile
• Positive Sentiment: Lear declared a quarterly dividend (annualized $3.08, ~2.4% yield), which supports income-minded holders and signals board confidence in cash flow. Lear earnings and company profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed — several buy/hold ratings with average target near the current trading range; one recent buy target is notably higher, creating divergent expectations. Lear analyst ratings and targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors hold the bulk of shares and some large funds adjusted positions recently; heavy institutional ownership can amplify moves when insiders or funds trade. Hedge fund and institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: An insider (VP Marianne Vidershain) sold 1,590 shares at about $135, materially reducing her holding — insider sales can spook short-term traders and trigger profit-taking. Insider selling: Marianne Vidershain

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of Lear stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.31, for a total value of $954,170.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares in the company, valued at $2,374,929.13. The trade was a 28.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.51, for a total value of $1,345,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,058,891.91. This trade represents a 30.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 30,220 shares of company stock valued at $3,986,427 over the last 90 days. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.