Insider Selling: Lear (NYSE:LEA) SVP Sells $881,657.40 in Stock
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyLear Corporation (NYSE:LEA – Get Free Report) SVP Alicia Davis sold 6,630 shares of Lear stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total transaction of $881,657.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,076.56. This trade represents a 39.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.
Lear Stock Performance
Shares of LEA opened at $133.70 on Thursday. Lear Corporation has a 1 year low of $73.85 and a 1 year high of $142.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $125.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.32. The firm has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30.
Lear (NYSE:LEA – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.74. The company had revenue of $5.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.78 billion. Lear had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.
Lear Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.79%.
Trending Headlines about Lear
Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — LEA reported $3.41 EPS vs. $2.67 est. and revenue ahead of forecasts, reinforcing near-term fundamentals and analyst earnings assumptions. Lear Q4 earnings / MarketBeat
- Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in February (≈17.1% decline to ~1.68M shares; short % ~3.3%; days-to-cover ≈2.2), reducing one source of downside pressure and lowering squeeze risk. (data release)
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support — recent upgrades/target raises (Argus, Citi, TD Cowen) and reported large institutional buys (M&T Bank, Schroder, Norges Bank) suggest continued confidence from some sell‑side and large investors. Zacks: Why Lear is a Top Growth Stock
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared (quarterly $0.77; ex-dividend Mar 5, payable Mar 25) — supports income-oriented holders and signals capital return discipline. (SEC/Market reports)
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry and macro articles in the feed (AI/learning research, e-learning market pieces) are not specific to Lear and are unlikely to move the stock materially near term. Wharton Study on Structured AI
- Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling — several senior executives sold sizeable blocks in mid‑Feb (CFO and multiple SVPs, including a 6,630‑share sale by SVP Alicia Davis), which can sap sentiment and spark short‑term selling pressure. InsiderTrades: Insider Selling
- Negative Sentiment: Coverage remains mixed — despite some buy/strong‑buy calls, the consensus rating is still a “Hold” with a blended target near current levels, which limits near‑term upside from analyst revisions alone. (Market data)
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have issued reports on LEA. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lear from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Lear from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Lear from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.27.
Read Our Latest Analysis on LEA
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted 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 last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Lear during the first quarter valued at about $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Lear during the first quarter worth about $256,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lear by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in shares of Lear by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 20,802 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.
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.
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