Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Boosts Stock Position in Lear Corporation $LEA

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 171.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,991 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,800 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Lear were worth $2,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lear by 34.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 16,834 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,820 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Lear by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 24,918 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lear by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,790 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of Lear stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,244 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lear Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEA opened at $134.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.30. Lear Corporation has a 12 month low of $73.85 and a 12 month high of $142.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $124.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.41.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67 by $0.74. Lear had a return on equity of 13.40% and a net margin of 1.88%.The company had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.94 EPS. Lear’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

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 $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.79%.

Lear News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark initiated coverage of Lear with a “Buy” recommendation — a formal analyst endorsement that can draw institutional interest and support the share price; this follows Lear’s Feb. 4 quarter where EPS ($3.41) and revenue ($5.99B) both beat consensus, giving the firm momentum. Benchmark initiates coverage of Lear (LEA) with buy recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: AI research commentary (Yann LeCun) highlights that current LLMs still fall short of human-like learning for real-world tasks such as driving — a reminder that timelines for full vehicle autonomy remain uncertain, which keeps the demand curve for some advanced automotive components (and related supplier investments) ambiguous for investors in component suppliers like Lear. Yann LeCun Says LLMs Are ‘Incredibly’ Useful, But AI Still Can’t Learn To Drive A Car Like A 17-Year Old

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lear in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays set a $140.00 target price on Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lear from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Evercore lifted their price target on Lear from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lear has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.27.

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.