The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by LGT Group Foundation

LGT Group Foundation lowered its holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,177 shares of the company’s stock after selling 295 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on EL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $65.79 per share, for a total transaction of $46,053.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at $156,645.99. The trade was a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 2.4 %

EL stock opened at $70.18 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $74.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.13. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $159.54. The company has a market cap of $25.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. Estée Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

About Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.