Lear (NYSE:LEA) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Lear (NYSE:LEA) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

LEA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Lear from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Lear from $177.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Lear from $146.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Lear from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lear from $134.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.33.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LEA opened at $129.25 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $137.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Lear has a one year low of $120.48 and a one year high of $157.90. The company has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.55.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The auto parts company reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.14. Lear had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 2.28%. The firm had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.78 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Lear will post 14.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lear

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.81, for a total value 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 approximately $2,465,019.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lear

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisor Partners II LLC increased its holdings in Lear by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 1,921 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Lear by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 373 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Lear by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,152 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Lear by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 1,975 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in Lear by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 18,393 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,665,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.