Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $48.37 and last traded at $49.37, with a volume of 241075 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.06.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. CICC Research began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, December 27th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.67.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $20.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.59, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

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Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. Estée Lauder Companies's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,382,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,078,406,000 after purchasing an additional 8,930,011 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $554,509,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $251,304,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 11,026.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,343,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,704,000 after purchasing an additional 3,313,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 148.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,481,248 shares of the company's stock worth $410,984,000 after purchasing an additional 3,278,632 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Estée Lauder Companies

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.