Erste Asset Management GmbH Makes New Investment in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,136 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,012,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. PARK CIRCLE Co bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 63.9% in the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 431 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total value of $743,259.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 295,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,045,982.88. This represents a 3.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 77,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $64.01 per share, for a total transaction of $4,960,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 234,500 shares in the company, valued at $15,010,345. This trade represents a 49.36 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 2.4 %

Estée Lauder Companies stock traded up $1.83 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $79.31. 5,697,684 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,563,114. The business has a fifty day moving average of $80.68 and a 200 day moving average of $94.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $28.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 141.63, a PEG ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 1.05. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.29 and a 12-month high of $159.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 250.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Estée Lauder Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $180.00 to $130.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $131.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.57.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.