Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 25,903 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 232,940 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,903 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.06% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $17,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 130.4% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,081 shares of the company's stock worth $905,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 28,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,808,000 after buying an additional 20,116 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the third quarter worth $1,229,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the third quarter valued at $403,000. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter valued at $366,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL traded up $2.47 on Monday, reaching $57.70. 1,542,830 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,005,505. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.71 billion, a PE ratio of -29.59, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company's 50 day moving average is $66.37 and its 200-day moving average is $74.54. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $149.91.

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Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is -71.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $84.67.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 430,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,583,580. The trade was a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $156,645.99. This trade represents a 41.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.