Lear preps automated factory as 'blueprint' for global manufacturing. November 03, 2026 02:25 PM EST Lear Corp. is preparing a highly automated factory in Michigan that executives say will serve as a "blueprint" for its global manufacturing process and has already helped the supplier win major contracts. GLC production was scheduled to begin in Alabama in the fourth quarter of 2027.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) stock crosses above fifty day moving average following analyst downgrade. November 2, 2026 Key points. * Lear shares rose above their 50-day moving average, reaching $124.30 and last trading near $122.14 after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from "hold" to "buy." * Despite third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.71 exceeding estimates, the company's $5.77 billion revenue fell short of forecasts, and most analysts remain cautious: Lear has an average "hold" rating and a $143.25 price target. * Lear authorized a $1.5 billion share-repurchase program and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.77, while institutional investors own approximately 97% of its shares. * Interested in Lear? Here are five stocks we like better. Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $122.05 and traded as high as $124.30. Lear shares last traded at $122.1390, with a volume of 737,286 shares traded. Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lear from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Lear from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Lear from $143.00 to $139.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Lear from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Lear from $141.00 to $132.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.25. Insider activity at Lear. In other news, Director Conrad L. Mallett, Jr. sold 1,646 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.35, for a total value of $199,742.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 37 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,489.95. This represents a 97.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock. Lear news roundup. Here are the key news stories impacting Lear this week: * Better-than-expected profitability: Lear reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.71, exceeding the $3.32 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 1.6% year over year. Management highlighted growth in revenue, core operating earnings, net income and EPS, supporting the view that the auto supplier is managing a challenging market relatively well. * Shareholder returns and efficiency initiatives: Lear outlined plans for up to $1.5 billion in share repurchases through 2029. Its Orion automation program is expected to reduce conversion costs by approximately 10% to 15%, which could support margins and long-term earnings growth. * International revenue remains an important variable: Coverage examining Lear's international revenue trends indicates that regional performance and global vehicle production will remain key factors in Wall Street's forecasts. * Unrelated Learjet crash coverage: Reports about a deadly Florida Learjet crash concern an aircraft brand and are not related to Lear Corporation's automotive-parts business. The coverage should not have a fundamental effect on LEA. * Revenue outlook and analyst caution: Lear missed quarterly revenue expectations and reduced its fiscal 2026 revenue guidance. Analysts subsequently lowered forecasts and price targets; RBC cut its target from $139 to $135 while maintaining a "sector perform" rating. Institutional trading of Lear. A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Lear during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,029,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its position in Lear by 145.6% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 126,588 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $16,970,000 after buying an additional 75,043 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lear in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,997,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Lear by 5,987.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 23,436 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,838,000 after acquiring an additional 23,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Lear in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,988,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.04% of the company's stock. Lear trading up 3.1%. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $122.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Lear (NYSE:LEA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $3.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.39. Lear had a return on equity of 14.18% and a net margin of 2.35%. The firm had revenue of $5.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.79 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lear Corporation will post 14.88 EPS for the current fiscal year. Lear dividend announcement. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 2nd were given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 2nd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Lear's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.90%. Lear declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, September 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the auto parts company to repurchase up to 25.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued. About Lear. Lear Corporation is a global automotive technology company that designs and manufactures products used in passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Its operations are organized primarily around two areas: seating and e-systems. Lear supplies complete vehicle seating systems, including seats, structures, mechanisms, foam, covers and related components, as well as electrical distribution systems and other technologies that support vehicle power management and connectivity. The company serves automotive manufacturers and their vehicle programs in major markets across North America, Europe, Asia and other regions. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Before you consider Lear, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Lear wasn't on the list. While Lear currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. A strong long-term portfolio starts with companies that can survive recessions, inflation, changing consumer habits, and shifting market leadership. This report names seven blue-chip stocks across technology, retail, consumer staples, healthcare, networking, sporting goods, and utilities that offer investors a mix of stability, income, growth, and staying power. Continue following MarketBeat

What Lear (LEA) said on its Q3 earnings call. Lear (NYSE:LEA) reported higher third-quarter sales, earnings and margins despite a decline in global vehicle production, while maintaining its full-year core operating earnings outlook after reducing its revenue forecast to reflect weaker production schedules, particularly in China. Third-quarter sales rose 2% year over year to $5.8 billion, while global vehicle production declined 2% on a Lear-weighted basis. Core operating earnings increased 6% to $256 million, marking the company's fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement. Adjusted earnings per share climbed 33% to $3.71, aided by higher earnings and share repurchases. "Our resilience is the result of a focused strategy and a team that knows how to execute," President and CEO Ray Scott said during the company's third-quarter 2026 earnings call. Segment margins expand amid mixed production trends. Lear's Seating segment generated third-quarter sales of $4.3 billion, up 2% from a year earlier. The increase reflected new program launches, including the BMW iX3, Mercedes GLC with EQ Technology and Audi Q7 in Europe; the Seres M6 in China; and the Jeep Cherokee in North America. Higher volumes on Jaguar Land Rover platforms also helped, partially offset by lower volumes on Lear platforms in China and North America. Seating adjusted earnings rose 5% to $274 million, with adjusted operating margin reaching 6.3%. The margin improvement was driven by net performance and a margin-accretive backlog, partially offset by lower production volumes on Lear platforms. E-Systems sales increased 1% to $1.4 billion. The segment's adjusted earnings rose to $69 million, or 4.8% of sales, from $60 million, or 4.2% of sales, in the prior-year period. Lear said the improvement reflected strong net performance and higher volumes on certain customer platforms, partly offset by the build-out of Ford Escape, Focus and Lincoln Corsair programs and the wind-down of discontinued product lines. Scott said total company operating margins expanded 20 basis points year over year. E-Systems margins expanded 60 basis points, while Seating margins grew 20 basis points. China outlook prompts revenue reduction. For the full year, Lear now assumes global industry production will decline 1% on a Lear sales-weighted basis, a modest improvement from its prior outlook for a decline of less than 2%. The company cited stronger expected volumes in Europe, partly offset by lower production assumptions in China. However, Lear reduced its full-year revenue outlook midpoint by approximately $225 million, citing lower production volumes on Lear programs, especially in China, as well as foreign-exchange effects. The company said higher supplier pass-through tied to commodity costs and commercial recoveries partially offset those pressures. Despite the lower sales forecast, Lear maintained its outlook for full-year core operating earnings. Jared Fedele, vice president of finance for Seating and E-Systems, said operational execution, additional restructuring savings and anticipated commercial-negotiation resolutions are expected to offset the impact of lower volumes and rising commodity and other input costs. The company increased its restructuring-cost outlook by $25 million as it takes additional actions to optimize its cost structure. Lear also adjusted its operating cash flow and free cash flow outlook to support those investments. Chief Financial Officer Jason Cardew said the company's outlook range remains wider than usual because of the evolving China production environment, commercial negotiations and the need for continued execution. He said Lear's best estimate was the midpoint of the range at the time of the call. Business awards and China strategy. Lear reported approximately $3.9 billion in year-to-date net business awards, including about $3.1 billion in Seating and $800 million in E-Systems. More than half of Seating awards and about 70% of E-Systems awards were for new or conquest programs, according to the company. The company highlighted several Seating wins, including complete-seat, foam and heat awards from a North American automaker; what Scott called Lear's largest complete-seat program award in India with Mahindra & Mahindra; modular seating awards with Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover; and programs with BYD in Thailand and Indonesia. In China, Lear said its current customer mix remains weighted toward higher-end and luxury vehicles, leaving it underrepresented in lower-priced vehicle exports. Cardew said 23% of Lear's year-to-date business awards were from Chinese automakers, compared with 8.5% of its current consolidated and non-consolidated revenue. Management said Lear expects its China revenue mix with domestic automakers to rise from 44% currently to about 50% or slightly more next year, with a path to 55% and beyond over the following two to three years when recent awards are included. Automation investment and capital returns. Scott also discussed Lear's Orion, Michigan, Seating facility, which is expected to begin production next year and support GM's Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra nameplates. The facility incorporates automated material handling, storage, robotics and digital production-management systems. Lear expects automation at Orion to reduce conversion-cost requirements by 10% to 15%. Scott described the plant as a blueprint for future Seating facilities, including prospective programs such as the Ford Super Duty. Third-quarter operating cash flow was $329 million, down from $444 million a year earlier because of higher tooling and engineering investments and working-capital timing. Free cash flow totaled $158 million. The company repurchased $175 million of stock during the quarter, bringing year-to-date repurchases to $350 million and completing its full-year target ahead of schedule. Lear's board increased its share-repurchase authorization to $1.5 billion and extended it through Dec. 31, 2029. Separately, Scott said Cardew will retire after more than 34 years with Lear. Fedele, who has been with the company for 23 years, will succeed him as CFO effective March 1. About Lear (NYSE:LEA). Lear Corporation is a global automotive technology company that designs and manufactures products used in passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Its operations are organized primarily around two areas: seating and e-systems. Lear supplies complete vehicle seating systems, including seats, structures, mechanisms, foam, covers and related components, as well as electrical distribution systems and other technologies that support vehicle power management and connectivity. The company serves automotive manufacturers and their vehicle programs in major markets across North America, Europe, Asia and other regions.