Estee Lauder Companies Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:EL)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 27,427 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 518% compared to the average volume of 4,438 call options.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:EL traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $98.20. The stock had a trading volume of 2,074,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,910,732. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.75. The company has a market capitalization of $35.53 billion, a PE ratio of 200.40, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.28. Estee Lauder Companies has a twelve month low of $66.22 and a twelve month high of $121.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 23.52%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 3.3 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently 285.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, China Intl Cap upgraded Estee Lauder Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Estee Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Rashida La Lande sold 7,766 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total transaction of $802,383.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,483,365.24. This trade represents a 35.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total value of $373,045.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,036,954.22. This represents a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 17,105 shares of company stock worth $1,729,325. 13.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc is a global beauty company that develops, manufactures and markets prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair-care products. Its portfolio includes Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda, Tom Ford Beauty and The Ordinary, among other brands.

Founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the company began with four skincare products and has expanded into a broad international beauty business. Its products are sold through department and specialty stores, freestanding stores, e-commerce platforms, travel retail locations and other distribution channels.

Estée Lauder Companies serves consumers in markets around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.