Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA - Free Report) by 78.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 463,467 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 203,963 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.85% of Lear worth $43,890,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lear by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,491,895 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $614,782,000 after purchasing an additional 447,835 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Lear by 29.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,212,579 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $209,531,000 after purchasing an additional 498,918 shares during the period. Greenhaven Associates Inc. lifted its position in Lear by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 1,842,247 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $174,461,000 after buying an additional 22,601 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,141,476 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $124,621,000 after acquiring an additional 44,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Lear during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $90,700,000. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rod Lache acquired 2,178 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.80 per share, with a total value of $199,940.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $199,940.40. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

Lear Price Performance

Lear stock traded up $1.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $77.42. The company had a trading volume of 730,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 743,305. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $92.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.34. Lear Co. has a 1-year low of $73.85 and a 1-year high of $138.69.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 2.17%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. Lear's payout ratio is 34.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lear from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Lear from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lear currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.00.

About Lear

Lear Corporation designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, assembles, and supplies automotive seating, and electrical distribution systems and related components for automotive original equipment manufacturers in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Its Seating segment offers seat systems, seat subsystems, keyseat components, seat trim covers, seat mechanisms, seat foams, and headrests, as well as surface materials, such as leather and fabric for automobiles and light trucks, compact cars, pick-up trucks, and sport utility vehicles.