Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $48.37 and last traded at $49.37, with a volume of 241075 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. CICC Research began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, December 27th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 1.1 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.51, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is -71.79%.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

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.