Pinebridge Investments L.P. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. cut its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 63.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,584 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,506 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P.’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bard Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,789,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $1,555,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth $199,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 25.3% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 28,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,863,000 after purchasing an additional 5,803 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after purchasing an additional 45,687 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $59.41 on Monday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $149.06. The company has a market capitalization of $21.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $63.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.70.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $156,645.99. This trade represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.57.

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.