Lear (NYSE: LEA) reported Q2 2026 revenue of $6.21 billion, up 3% from $6.03 billion, while GAAP diluted EPS rose 24% to $3.79 from $3.06. Net income attributable to Lear increased 17% to $192.8 million, and free cash flow rose 69% to $287.8 million, with E-Systems producing the quarter’s clearest margin improvement. The quarter ended July 4, 2026, and the results were released on July 31.
Core financial results
Headline sales growth exceeded the company’s production backdrop: global vehicle production was flat, while production declined approximately 1% on a Lear sales-weighted basis. Excluding commodities, foreign exchange and tariff recoveries, sales increased 1%, reflecting commercial recoveries and new business, partly offset by lower production on key Lear platforms.
Core operating earnings rose 7% and the corresponding margin expanded by 20 basis points. The company attributed the earnings change to new business and foreign-exchange movements, which more than offset lower production on key platforms.
| Metric | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | US$6,209.4 million | US$6,030.4 million | +3% |
| Core operating earnings* | US$313.2 million | US$291.8 million | +7% |
| Core operating margin* | 5.0% | 4.8% | +20 bps |
| Net income attributable to Lear | US$192.8 million | US$165.2 million | +17% |
| Diluted EPS | US$3.79 | US$3.06 | +24% |
| Adjusted diluted EPS* | US$4.28 | US$3.47 | +23% |
| Operating cash flow | US$460.5 million | US$296.2 million | +55% |
| Free cash flow* | US$287.8 million | US$170.8 million | +69% |
*Core operating earnings, adjusted EPS and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. Free cash flow is defined as operating cash flow less capital expenditures.
Business and segment performance
Both segments generated higher revenue, but their margin trends differed. Seating remained Lear’s largest business and recorded modest sales growth, while its adjusted margin was unchanged. E-Systems delivered the more substantial profitability improvement.
| Segment | Q2 2026 sales | Approx. YoY growth | Segment margin | Adjusted segment margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seating | US$4,624.1 million | +3.4% | 6.2% vs. 6.4% | 6.7% vs. 6.7% |
| E-Systems | US$1,585.3 million | +1.8% | 5.4% vs. 3.5% | 5.8% vs. 4.9% |
E-Systems segment earnings increased to US$85.1 million from US$55.2 million, while adjusted segment earnings rose to US$91.3 million from US$75.8 million. Seating segment earnings were nearly flat at US$286.2 million, although adjusted segment earnings increased approximately 4% to US$311.5 million.
Regionally, Europe and Africa sales increased approximately 8% to US$2.33 billion, and South America grew approximately 28% to US$259.2 million. North America declined slightly to US$2.50 billion, while Asia fell approximately 2% to US$1.13 billion.
Lear also reported new and conquest awards involving Audi, Leapmotor, Renault, BAIC, Stellantis and other automakers across Seating and E-Systems. The release did not quantify the awards’ expected revenue or launch timing, so their financial contribution cannot yet be assessed.
Cash flow, liquidity and capital allocation
Operating cash flow increased by US$164.3 million year over year, more than absorbing the rise in quarterly capital expenditures to US$172.7 million from US$125.4 million. As a result, free cash flow increased by US$117.0 million despite higher investment spending.
Quarter-end cash and cash equivalents totaled US$1.00 billion, compared with US$1.03 billion at the end of 2025, while total liquidity was US$3.0 billion. Long-term debt was largely unchanged at US$2.71 billion.
Lear repurchased US$100 million of shares and paid US$39 million in dividends during the quarter. Free cash flow exceeded those combined distributions by approximately US$149 million. The weighted-average diluted share count declined to 50.8 million from 54.1 million, helping EPS growth outpace the increase in net income. Approximately US$600 million remained under the company’s repurchase authorization at quarter-end.
2026 guidance
Lear raised the midpoints and narrowed the ranges of most full-year 2026 guidance metrics. Previous numerical ranges were not included in the supplied release, so the size of each revision cannot be calculated.
| Metric | Full-year 2026 guidance |
|---|---|
| Net sales | US$23,540 million–US$24,010 million |
| Core operating earnings* | US$1,080 million–US$1,200 million |
| Adjusted EBITDA* | US$1,700 million–US$1,820 million |
| Restructuring costs | Approximately US$175 million |
| Operating cash flow | US$1,250 million–US$1,350 million |
| Capital spending | Approximately US$660 million |
| Free cash flow* | US$590 million–US$690 million |
The midpoint assumes that global industry production declines approximately 2% from 2025 on a Lear sales-weighted basis. Guidance uses full-year average exchange rates of US$1.16 per euro and RMB6.82 per US dollar. It excludes the future effects of potential tariff changes and company- or industry-wide production disruptions.
Recent insider transactions
The supplied insider data shows 176,479 shares purchased and 107,777 shares sold during the previous six months, resulting in net purchases of 68,702 shares. However, the latest individual transactions with complete direction and value information were all sales; entries without transaction details have been excluded below.
| Date | Insider and role | Transaction | Reported value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun. 24, 2026 | Raymond E. Scott Jr., CEO | Sale at US$134.44–US$137.21 per share | US$6,768,452 |
| Jun. 10, 2026 | Conrad L. Mallett Jr., Director | Sale at US$141.34 per share | US$26,855 |
| Jun. 2, 2026 | Jason M. Cardew, CFO | Sale at US$141.14–US$150.00 per share | US$1,372,630 |
| Jun. 2, 2026 | Frank C. Orsini, Officer | Sale at US$148.50 per share | US$742,500 |
| May 22, 2026 | Nicholas Jon Roelli, Officer | Sale at US$141.38 per share | US$330,252 |
The supplied records do not provide enough detail to determine the reasons for these transactions or reconcile the six-month aggregate with only the individual rows shown.
Risks investors should monitor
- Vehicle production and platform mix: Lear’s outlook assumes a roughly 2% sales-weighted production decline, while lower output on key platforms already offset part of Q2’s benefit from new business.
- Tariff exposure: Reported sales included tariff recoveries, and the outlook excludes future tariff changes. Differences between tariff costs and recoveries could affect revenue and margins.
- Foreign-exchange sensitivity: Currency movements affected Q2 earnings, and the full-year outlook depends on specified euro and renminbi exchange-rate assumptions.
- Seating profitability: Seating accounted for approximately three-quarters of quarterly sales, but its reported margin declined and its adjusted margin was flat. Continued pressure in this segment could limit consolidated margin expansion.
- Restructuring and non-GAAP adjustments: Lear expects approximately US$175 million of restructuring costs for 2026, while several headline profitability measures exclude restructuring and other special items.
Summary
Lear’s second-quarter revenue grew despite a weaker sales-weighted production environment, while E-Systems margin expansion and higher cash generation supported faster profit and EPS growth. Seating remained stable on an adjusted basis rather than contributing meaningful margin expansion. The main issues to watch are vehicle production on Lear’s key platforms, the treatment of tariff-related costs and recoveries, and whether the improved E-Systems profitability and cash flow can be sustained within the raised full-year outlook.
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