CSM Advisors LLC Has $3.89 Million Stock Holdings in Lear Corporation $LEA

CSM Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,703 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,710 shares during the period. CSM Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Lear worth $3,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in Lear in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Lear during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lear by 34.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lear during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Lear by 130.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 470 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lear

In related news, SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.31, for a total transaction of $954,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,374,929.13. This trade represents a 28.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of Lear stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.98, for a total value of $881,657.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,326,076.56. This represents a 39.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 30,220 shares of company stock valued at $3,986,427 over the last three months. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lear News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear’s recent quarterly results remain supportive: the company beat EPS and revenue expectations in its February quarter (reported EPS $3.41 vs. $2.67 est.; revenue $5.99B vs. $5.78B est.), and analysts still model solid full?year earnings. This earnings beat underpins the view that Lear’s fundamentals are improving.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighting valuation: Zacks published a piece arguing LEA is a long?term value pick, pointing to attractive valuation metrics (P/E ~14, PEG ~0.85) and potential upside for value?oriented investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital initiated coverage with a “sector perform” rating and a $135 price target (roughly mid?teens upside vs. current levels). The price target is constructive, but the sector?perform stance signals RBC expects Lear to perform roughly in line with peers rather than outperform. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LEA. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Lear from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Lear in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Lear in a research report on Thursday. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of Lear to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lear currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.00.

Lear Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of LEA stock opened at $114.15 on Monday. Lear Corporation has a 12-month low of $73.85 and a 12-month high of $142.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $126.48 and a 200-day moving average of $113.91. The company has a market capitalization of $5.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Lear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Lear’s payout ratio is 37.79%.

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.