Lear (NYSE:LEA) Cut to “Neutral” at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Lear (NYSE:LEA) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report released on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on LEA. Morgan Stanley set a $130.00 target price on shares of Lear in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $133.00 price target on shares of Lear in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lear from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Lear from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $138.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Lear in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.23.

Lear Price Performance

Shares of LEA opened at $125.21 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $139.02 and its 200-day moving average is $131.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $6.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.25. Lear has a fifty-two week low of $94.71 and a fifty-two week high of $150.33.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The auto parts company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.30. Lear had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Lear will post 14.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lear Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. Lear’s dividend payout ratio is 28.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jason M. Cardew sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.50, for a total transaction of $737,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,953,047.50. This represents a 27.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Nicholas Jon Roelli sold 2,336 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.38, for a total value of $330,263.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,339 shares in the company, valued at $330,687.82. The trade was a 49.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 62,026 shares of company stock worth $8,498,248. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lear

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LEA. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Lear in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in Lear during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lear in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Lear by 62.6% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 309 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Lear by 942.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 271 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. 97.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Lear News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lear reported second-quarter 2026 results and raised its full-year outlook, signaling improved confidence in earnings and cash generation. The company’s latest quarterly performance also exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue growth from the prior year. Lear Corporation reports second quarter 2026 financial results and raises full year outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating on Lear while increasing its price target to $138. The higher target suggests some potential upside from recent trading levels, but the unchanged rating indicates the firm does not see a compelling enough risk-reward profile to recommend buying the shares aggressively. Lear Gets a Hold from Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane lowered Lear’s rating to Neutral. The downgrade may be weighing on the stock because it reflects reduced conviction following the company’s recent results, even though Lear’s valuation remains relatively modest compared with its earnings outlook. Lear Rating Lowered to Neutral at BNP Paribas Exane

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.