Nuance Investments LLC Grows Stock Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Nuance Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 1,127.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,059,080 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 972,799 shares during the period. Estée Lauder Companies comprises approximately 3.5% of Nuance Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Nuance Investments LLC owned 0.30% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $105,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. PARK CIRCLE Co purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 77,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $64.01 per share, for a total transaction of $4,960,775.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 234,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,010,345. The trade was a 49.36 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total value of $315,963.41. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares in the company, valued at $4,578,114. This represents a 6.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,296 shares of company stock worth $1,423,366. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of EL traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $65.34. The stock had a trading volume of 4,741,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,469,069. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.36. The company has a market capitalization of $23.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.05. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $159.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. The company's revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 471.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $98.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.57.

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.