Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 35,892 Shares of Lear Corporation $LEA

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 88.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,650 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 35,892 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lear were worth $563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEA. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Lear by 5,205.1% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,268 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 7,131 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Lear in the 1st quarter worth approximately $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Lear during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $256,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lear by 37.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 968 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lear by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lear from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lear from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Lear in a report on Saturday, August 1st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $138.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lear from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.23.

Lear Stock Performance

LEA stock opened at $118.93 on Friday. Lear Corporation has a twelve month low of $95.27 and a twelve month high of $150.33. The firm has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $138.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The auto parts company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. Lear had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 14.18%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 14.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 3rd. Lear’s payout ratio is 28.70%.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.50, for a total transaction of $737,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,953,047.50. This trade represents a 27.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Conrad L. Mallett, Jr. sold 190 shares of Lear stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.34, for a total transaction of $26,854.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $237,875.22. This represents a 10.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 62,026 shares of company stock valued at $8,498,248 over the last 90 days. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear’s second-quarter earnings exceeded expectations, helped by margin expansion in its E-Systems segment. The company also raised its 2026 share-repurchase target to at least $350 million, signaling confidence in cash generation and providing potential shareholder support. LEA Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on E-Systems Margin Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating while increasing its price target to $138, suggesting some potential upside from current levels but limited conviction that the recent earnings performance warrants a more bullish stance. Lear Gets a Hold from Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lowered Lear’s rating to Neutral, adding pressure to the stock by signaling that the shares’ risk-reward profile may be less attractive after their recent performance. Lear Rating Lowered to Neutral at BNP Paribas Exane

Lear Profile

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.