Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Increases Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 41.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,002 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,268 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

EL stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.11. The stock had a trading volume of 2,000,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,348,696. 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 firm has a market cap of $25.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50-day moving average of $75.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.19. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.29 and a 52-week high of $159.54.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Estée Lauder Companies's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 43,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $156,645.99. The trade was a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on EL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. CICC Research initiated coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, December 27th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.00.

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.