Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Stock Position Reduced by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its position in shares of Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) by 64.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 33,818 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 60,959 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Lear were worth $3,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 4th quarter worth approximately $373,000. Inceptionr LLC bought a new position in Lear during the 4th quarter worth approximately $715,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Lear during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,984,000. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in Lear by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 9,055 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 3,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Lear by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,600 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rod Lache purchased 2,178 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,178 shares in the company, valued at $199,940.40. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. TD Cowen downgraded Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lear from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Lear from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.36.

Lear Stock Up 4.3 %

LEA opened at $98.99 on Friday. Lear Co. has a 12 month low of $86.28 and a 12 month high of $147.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $94.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.32.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 EPS 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, research analysts predict that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.45%.

Lear Profile

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.