Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 40,819 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 767% compared to the average daily volume of 4,708 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on EL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $82.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.96.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

NYSE:EL traded up $1.55 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $106.33. 1,665,109 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,796,816. The stock has a market cap of $38.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 216.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $100.42 and its 200-day moving average is $91.86. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1-year low of $66.22 and a 1-year high of $121.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.21. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 23.52%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 30th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 285.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total transaction of $373,045.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,971 shares in the company, valued at $5,036,954.22. This trade represents a 6.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Rashida La Lande sold 7,766 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total value of $802,383.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,365.24. This represents a 35.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 75,105 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,185 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 24.9% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,137,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,826,000 after purchasing an additional 226,888 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,750,000. S&CO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,586,000. SummitTX Capital L.P. bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,608,000. Finally, Cacti Asset Management LLC increased its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cacti Asset Management LLC now owns 230,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,750,000 after buying an additional 99,142 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estee Lauder Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Estée Lauder reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings of $0.72 per share, well above the approximately $0.51–$0.52 consensus, while revenue of $3.72 billion exceeded estimates of $3.65 billion and increased 6.7% year over year. Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improved sharply as sales grew faster than costs, with operating income more than doubling according to coverage of the results. Fragrance was the standout category, with sales rising roughly 19%–20% and delivering the strongest operating margin among the company’s major categories. Q1 Earnings Beat on Fragrance Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2027 outlook, calling for $15.8 billion–$16.0 billion in revenue and $3.20–$3.45 in EPS. It also lifted its organic sales-growth forecast to 4%–5.5%, citing Beauty Reimagined, stronger fragrance demand and resilient China sales. Fiscal 2027 Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $120 to $126 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying meaningful upside based on the cited share price. Royal Bank of Canada Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its target from $95 to $110 but retained an “equal weight” rating, indicating improved expectations without a bullish change in its overall stance. Wells Fargo Rating
• Negative Sentiment: The EPS guidance midpoint is slightly below consensus, and analysts note that growth may be front-loaded. Investors must also weigh the stock’s elevated valuation and reported cash-outflow concerns as the recovery continues.

About Estee Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global prestige beauty company that develops, markets and sells skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair-care products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Tom Ford Beauty, Le Labo and The Ordinary.

Founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the company began with four skincare products and has expanded into a multinational beauty business. Its products are sold through department and specialty stores, beauty retailers, brand-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, salons, spas and other distribution channels.

The Estée Lauder Companies serves consumers in markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific.