The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Bought by Acropolis Investment Management LLC

Acropolis Investment Management LLC raised its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,172 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EL. Vigilant Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 280.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vigilant Capital Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 450.0% in the 2nd quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Align Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 286.0% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 55.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 1.1 %

Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $234.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $256.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.98. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.47 and a 1-year high of $289.59. The company has a market cap of $83.79 billion, a PE ratio of 57.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.25. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 9.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.01 earnings per share. Estée Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 27th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $245.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $224.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $255.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Redburn Partners began coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 6,831 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total transaction of $1,912,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 118,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,300,680. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Estée Lauder Companies news, EVP Carl P. Haney sold 9,741 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.90, for a total value of $2,473,239.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,211,864.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 6,831 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total value of $1,912,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 118,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,300,680. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,511 shares of company stock valued at $8,943,120 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.75% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc engages in the manufacture of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. It sells products under the following brand names: Estée Lauder, Clinique, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda and Too Faced. Its channels consist of department stores, multi-brand retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and prestige salons and spas.