The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Holdings Lifted by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Estee Lauder by 554.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 242,042 shares valued at about $25.3 million.
• Estée Lauder has been drawing mixed but generally positive analyst attention, with Citigroup raising its price target to $110 and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating.
• The company reported better-than-expected fiscal results, including EPS of $0.91 versus estimates of $0.66, while shares recently traded up 11.7% amid news that merger talks with Puig ended.

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 554.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,042 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 205,040 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $25,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EL. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, May 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.63.

Key Estee Lauder Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Estée Lauder ended merger discussions with Puig, which the market is treating as a relief event because it eliminates uncertainty around a complex transaction and lets the company focus on its own recovery plan.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on EL to $110 from $92 and reiterated a buy rating, reinforcing optimism that the stock can still move higher from current levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the company ahead of the Morgan Stanley Luxury Conference, where management commentary could shape sentiment on valuation and the pace of the turnaround.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note that the stock’s jump may also reflect short covering after prior weakness tied to merger speculation and uneven prestige beauty demand.
• Negative Sentiment: The failed Puig deal means Estée Lauder will not gain the scale benefits that a combination could have provided, and it removes the possibility of a transformative premium-beauty merger.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 11.7%

Shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $88.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market cap of $31.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -125.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.87. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.57 and a fifty-two week high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.25. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 20.66% and a negative net margin of 1.67%.The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.430 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Estee Lauder Companies's payout ratio is currently -200.00%.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc NYSE: EL is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company's portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.

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