Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Raises Holdings in Lear Corporation $LEA

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 124.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,741 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 30,369 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Lear were worth $5,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lear by 0.8% in the second quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 13,846 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lear by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lear by 2.0% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,158 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Lear by 0.8% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 24,918 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,367,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in Lear by 6.0% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,790 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear outbid rival Magna for a significant GM contract at the Orion assembly (Crain’s reports this as a material win for Lear, likely boosting near-term revenue and reinforcing Lear’s position as a key seat supplier). GM supplier unseats its rival in major deal at Michigan truck plant
• Positive Sentiment: Lear will open a “dark” (highly automated) seat-production plant near GM’s Orion facility, which should lower unit manufacturing costs and improve capacity alignment with GM. This complements the contract win and supports margin improvement expectations. GM Seat Supplier Lear To Open Dark Factory Near Orion Plant
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts (Zacks) expect Lear to beat Q4 earnings estimates — a likely earnings beat can act as a near-term catalyst and helps justify current valuation metrics (LEA trades at ~15x P/E). Lear (LEA) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: What to Know Ahead of Q4 Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Lear is scheduled to release quarterly results this week (earnings date reminder). Investors will be watching guidance, margins, and any GM-related revenue disclosure. Lear (LEA) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Lear Stock Performance

NYSE LEA opened at $120.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Lear Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $73.85 and a fifty-two week high of $127.36. The business has a fifty day moving average of $116.05 and a 200-day moving average of $107.88. The stock has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.30.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The auto parts company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.03. Lear had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 1.92%.The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LEA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lear from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on Lear from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lear from $107.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Lear from $136.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.20.

Insider Activity at Lear

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total value of $590,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 15,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,801,383.48. The trade was a 24.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lear Company 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.