Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 46.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,124 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,014 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EL. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL stock opened at $66.07 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $72.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.88, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.08. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $155.73.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently -71.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on EL. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given 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.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.