Short Interest in Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) Declines By 17.1%

Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) was the target of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,676,708 shares, a drop of 17.1% from the January 29th total of 2,022,446 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 766,394 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 766,394 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear will participate in a fireside chat at the Bank of America 2026 Global Automotive Summit on March 17 — management access and public investor events can help clarify strategy for Seating and E-Systems, boost investor visibility, and give management a forum to discuss EV content wins and margin trajectory. Lear to Participate in the Bank of America 2026 Global Automotive Summit
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector news around EV infrastructure (e.g., Blink Charging’s Belgium project) highlights continued electrification demand, which is a structural tailwind for suppliers like Lear but doesn’t move near-term fundamentals directly. Investors will watch whether Lear converts content wins into booked programs. Blink Charging Lands Major Belgium EV Infrastructure Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage on LEA with a “neutral” rating — an explicit neutral start from a major broker can cap near-term upside and prompt profit-taking from investors expecting upgrades; this is the more direct reason for downward pressure on the stock today. Bank of America Initiates Coverage on Lear

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lear news, VP Marianne Vidershain sold 1,590 shares of Lear stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $214,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $251,370. The trade was a 46.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,374,929.13. This trade represents a 28.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 30,220 shares of company stock worth $3,986,427 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Lear in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. WealthCollab LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lear in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lear in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Lear by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 309 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Lear by 942.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 271 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LEA shares. Argus upgraded Lear to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Lear from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price objective 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. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Lear from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lear presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.27.

Lear Stock Performance

LEA stock traded down $0.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $122.67. The company had a trading volume of 433,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 541,571. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.26. Lear has a 12 month low of $73.85 and a 12 month high of $142.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $126.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.19.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $5.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.78 billion. Lear had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.94 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lear will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Lear’s payout ratio is presently 37.79%.

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.