Harry Albert Kemp Sells 7,000 Shares of Lear (NYSE:LEA) Stock

Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 17,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,374,929.13. This represents a 28.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Lear Stock Performance

NYSE LEA opened at $134.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $124.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.17. Lear Corporation has a 12-month low of $73.85 and a 12-month high of $142.84. The company has a market capitalization of $6.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its quarterly 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 company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.94 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is 37.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LEA shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Lear from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lear from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised 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. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: Lear reported $3.41 EPS vs. $2.67 est. and revenue above consensus, underscoring stronger-than-expected execution and supporting current analyst earnings views. Lear Q4 earnings / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/quant recognition: Zacks published pieces highlighting LEA as a strong momentum and value candidate, which can attract quant and style-focused buyers. Zacks Momentum Zacks Value
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and institutional demand: Lear announced a $0.77 quarterly dividend (ex‑div March 5) and recent 4Q institutional buys (large increases from M&T, Schroder, Norges Bank) signal steady income appeal and long-only interest. Dividend & institutional flow
• Neutral Sentiment: No new guidance or material strategic announcements in the recent newsfeed — most other items are sector/industry pieces that are unlikely to move LEA directly.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Jason Cardew sold 10,000 shares (~$1.35M). Such sales by the finance chief can raise investor scrutiny. Cardew SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Additional senior sales: SVP Harry Albert Kemp sold 7,000 shares and SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares; multiple, closely timed senior exec sales amplify short-term sentiment risk despite no indication of company distress. Kemp SEC filing Davis SEC filing

Institutional Trading of Lear

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lear by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,835,802 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $324,990,000 after buying an additional 51,692 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Lear by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,830,466 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $212,938,000 after acquiring an additional 5,409 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Lear by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,569,341 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $157,891,000 after purchasing an additional 299,841 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Lear by 46,707.8% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 951,602 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $109,054,000 after purchasing an additional 949,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lear by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 791,293 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $90,682,000 after purchasing an additional 57,206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.