Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $60.23 and last traded at $60.25, with a volume of 2413628 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $68.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The firm's fifty day moving average is $69.69 and its 200 day moving average is $76.03. The company has a market cap of $17.85 billion, a PE ratio of -25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 130.4% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,081 shares of the company's stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 5,140 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $455,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 28,163 shares of the company's stock worth $2,808,000 after purchasing an additional 20,116 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth $1,229,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth about $403,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

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.