Centre Asset Management LLC Invests $8.59 Million in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 114,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,585,000. Estée Lauder Companies comprises 2.0% of Centre Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter worth $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. PARK CIRCLE Co bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Ecofi Investissements SA acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at about $53,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. CICC Research started coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, December 27th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $97.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Estée Lauder Companies stock traded down $1.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.16. 3,518,931 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,942,016. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $159.75. The business's 50-day moving average is $73.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.47. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $25.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 128.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 1.05.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.37 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The business's revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 250.00%.

Estée Lauder Companies 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.