Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Earns "Buy" Rating from DA Davidson

DA Davidson reiterated their buy rating on shares of Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a $130.00 price target on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America downgraded Estée Lauder Companies from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price target for the company from $140.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $131.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Raymond James cut Estée Lauder Companies from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $136.00 to $117.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $122.77.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of EL traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $92.54. 4,221,952 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,073,983. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $33.18 billion, a PE ratio of 51.99, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.99. The firm's 50 day moving average is $97.92 and its 200-day moving average is $123.30. Estée Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $86.05 and a 52 week high of $163.22.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 19th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.39. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 16.91% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Estée Lauder Companies will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.31%.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $315,963.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,578,114. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total transaction of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,714.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $315,963.41. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,578,114. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Estée Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 163.0% during the first quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 3,262.5% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.