American Century Companies Inc. Raises Position in Lear Corporation $LEA

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) by 23.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,569,341 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 299,841 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Lear were worth $157,891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lear during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lear by 100.0% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 454 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Lear by 130.4% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 470 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Lear

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear won a major Ford contract after Forvia lost the business — a direct revenue/market-share gain for Lear that supports future sales and backlog. Forvia loses major Ford contract to Lear
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently reported a solid quarter, beating EPS and revenue estimates and showing year-over-year revenue growth — this underpins the improved earnings outlook analysts are using. Lear earnings and company profile
• Positive Sentiment: Lear declared a quarterly dividend (annualized $3.08, ~2.4% yield), which supports income-minded holders and signals board confidence in cash flow. Lear earnings and company profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed — several buy/hold ratings with average target near the current trading range; one recent buy target is notably higher, creating divergent expectations. Lear analyst ratings and targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors hold the bulk of shares and some large funds adjusted positions recently; heavy institutional ownership can amplify moves when insiders or funds trade. Hedge fund and institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: An insider (VP Marianne Vidershain) sold 1,590 shares at about $135, materially reducing her holding — insider sales can spook short-term traders and trigger profit-taking. Insider selling: Marianne Vidershain

Lear Stock Performance

LEA opened at $131.10 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.26. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.87. Lear Corporation has a 1 year low of $73.85 and a 1 year high of $142.84.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The auto parts company reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lear Corporation will post 12.89 EPS for the current year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Lear from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Lear in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lear from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lear from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Lear in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Alicia J. Davis sold 6,630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 39.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.51, for a total transaction of $1,345,100.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 22,741 shares in the company, valued at $3,058,891.91. This trade represents a 30.54% 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 ninety days. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Lear 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.