Insider Buying: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Director Purchases 43,000 Shares of Stock

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL traded up $2.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.80. 6,673,154 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,568,599. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $159.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $76.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.56.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is -71.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% during 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. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EL shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.