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International Markets and Lear (LEA): A Deep Dive for Investors

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Have you looked into how Lear (LEA - Free Report) performed internationally during the quarter ending December 2024? Considering the widespread global presence of this automotive seating and electrical distribution systems company, examining the trends in international revenues is essential for assessing its financial resilience and prospects for growth.

In the current global economy, which is more interconnected than ever, a company's success in penetrating international markets is crucial for its financial health and growth journey. Investors must understand a company's dependence on overseas markets, as this offers a window into the company's earnings stability, its ability to benefit from varied economic cycles and its potential for long-term growth.

International market involvement serves as insurance against economic downturns at home and enables engagement with economies that are growing more quickly. Still, this move toward diversification is not without its challenges, as it involves navigating through the fluctuations of currencies, geopolitical threats, and the distinctive nature of various markets.

While delving into LEA's performance for the past quarter, we observed some fascinating trends in the revenue from its foreign segments that are commonly modeled and observed by analysts on Wall Street.

The recent quarter saw the company's total revenue reaching $5.71 billion, marking a decline of 2.2% from the prior-year quarter. Next, we'll examine the breakdown of LEA's revenue from abroad to comprehend the significance of its international presence.

Trends in LEA's Revenue from International Markets

During the quarter, South America contributed $213.5 million in revenue, making up 3.74% of the total revenue. When compared to the consensus estimate of $240.02 million, this meant a surprise of -11.05%. Looking back, South America contributed $233.5 million, or 4.18%, in the previous quarter, and $221.4 million, or 3.79%, in the same quarter of the previous year.

Of the total revenue, $1.98 billion came from Europe and Africa during the last fiscal quarter, accounting for 34.66%. This represented a surprise of +6.76% as analysts had expected the region to contribute $1.86 billion to the total revenue. In comparison, the region contributed $1.89 billion, or 33.89%, and $2.17 billion, or 37.21%, to total revenue in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.

Asia accounted for 21.06% of the company's total revenue during the quarter, translating to $1.2 billion. Revenues from this region represented a surprise of +4.47%, with Wall Street analysts collectively expecting $1.15 billion. When compared to the preceding quarter and the same quarter in the previous year, Asia contributed $1.06 billion (18.89%) and $1.17 billion (20.10%) to the total revenue, respectively.

Revenue Forecasts for the International Markets

Wall Street analysts expect Lear to report $5.48 billion in total revenue for the current fiscal quarter, indicating a decline of 8.5% from the year-ago quarter. South America, Europe and Africa and Asia are expected to contribute 3.9% ($215.36 million), 35.8% ($1.96 billion) and 20.1% ($1.1 billion) to the total revenue, respectively.

For the full year, the company is expected to generate $22.37 billion in total revenue, down 4% from the previous year. Revenues from South America, Europe and Africa and Asia are expected to constitute 4% ($897.45 million), 35.7% ($7.98 billion) and 19.4% ($4.35 billion) of the total, respectively.

Wrapping Up

The dependency of Lear on global markets for its revenues presents a mix of potential gains and hazards. Thus, monitoring the trends in its overseas revenues can be a key indicator for predicting the firm's future performance.

In a world where international interdependencies and geopolitical conflicts are ever-increasing, Wall Street analysts closely monitor these trends for companies having international presence to adjust their earnings forecasts. Of course, there are several other factors, including a company's standing within its home borders, that influence analysts' earnings forecasts.

Emphasizing a company's shifting earnings prospects is a key aspect of our approach at Zacks, especially since research has proven its substantial influence on a stock's price in the short run. This correlation is positively aligned, meaning that improved earnings projections tend to boost the stock's price.

The Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool, comes with an externally validated impressive track record. It effectively utilizes shifts in earnings projections to act as a dependable barometer for forecasting short-term stock price trends.

At the moment, Lear has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), signifying that it may underperform the overall market trend in the upcoming period. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Lear's Recent Stock Market Performance

Over the past month, the stock has gained 4.1% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's 4.3% increase. The Zacks Auto-Tires-Trucks sector, of which Lear is a part, has declined 9.4% over the same period. The company's shares have increased 4.8% over the past three months compared to the S&P 500's 1.5% increase. Over the same period, the sector has declined 5.9%.

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