Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on EL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.50.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $115.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $102.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.93. The stock has a market cap of $41.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.15. Estee Lauder Companies has a 52-week low of $48.37 and a 52-week high of $119.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.17. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.92%. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently -54.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total value of $476,971.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the sale, the director owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EL. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the third quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 246.4% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth about $39,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.