U.S. Natural Gas Production Climbed Nearly 5% YoY in February, EIA Reports

Research Alert: Lea: Q1 Earnings Well Ahead Of Consensus; 2026 Guidance Maintained

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:Lear Corporation (LEA) posted Q1 adjusted EPS of $3.87 vs. $3.12 (+24%), well ahead of the $3.51 consensus. Revenue rose 5% to $5.82B ($20M below consensus) and gross margin expanded 120 bps to 7.7% (20 bps below consensus). The beat was attributable to a share count reduction from buybacks, as LEA repurchased $75M of stock in Q1 and its average share count was 5% lower Y/Y. In LEA's largest market of Europe and Africa (40% of LEA's total Q1 revenue), content per vehicle rose by a robust 7.5% Y/Y, while North American content fell by 4.1%. The North American decline appears to reflect mix effects, while the European/African improvement aligns with the secular trend of increasing safety and content per vehicle. LEA maintained all prior full-year guidance. LEA shares are currently trading 3% higher in pre-market trading following the release. We think that with Q1 earnings coming in well ahead of expectations, the probability of the company raising full-year guidance later this year is significantly higher.

US Equity Futures Turn Mixed Pre-Bell After S&P 500, Nasdaq Reach New Closing Highs

US equity futures were mixed pre-bell Friday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached new closing highs to close out April amid a continued impasse in the Middle East.Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.3% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.2% lower.On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 1% to close at 7,209.01, breaching the 7,200 mark for the first time, while Nasdaq increased 0.9% to close at 24,892.31, also a new closing record.US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's latest offer, stating that the US naval blockade on the nation's ports will remain until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses US concerns about its nuclear program, according to an Axios report on Wednesday.Traders took note of the latest round of earnings, with energy majors Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) both reporting lower Q1 adjusted earnings but higher revenue.Oil prices were mixed, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.5% at $110.95 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.8% lower at $104.21 per barrel.The final Purchasing Managers' Manufacturing Index for April, due at 9:45 am ET, is seen coming in at 54.0, unchanged from its prior value, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.The April Institute for Supply Management's services index, due at 10 am ET, is projected at 53.2, versus 52.7 previously.

Imperial Oil Declares Q2 Dividend of $0.87 Per Share; Unchanged From Q1