Royce & Associates LP Purchases Shares of 109,826 Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA)

Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 109,826 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $10,401,000. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.20% of Lear at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lear by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 7,714,653 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $842,054,000 after acquiring an additional 526,763 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Lear by 24.3% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,264,090 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $137,975,000 after purchasing an additional 247,312 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Lear by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,713,661 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $187,046,000 after purchasing an additional 206,822 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Lear by 7,452.3% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 173,855 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $16,129,000 after buying an additional 171,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lear by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 595,615 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $56,405,000 after buying an additional 121,734 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Lear Price Performance

Shares of LEA traded down $1.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $94.23. 2,542,974 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 700,123. The company has a market cap of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company's 50-day moving average price is $95.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.17. Lear Co. has a 52-week low of $86.28 and a 52-week high of $147.11.

Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 2.17%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. Lear's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Cowen lowered Lear from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Lear from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rod Lache bought 2,178 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,178 shares in the company, valued at $199,940.40. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

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.