The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Holdings Lifted by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 174.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,476 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,114 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $2,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,392,000 after acquiring an additional 45,687 shares in the last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company's stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 3,524 shares in the last quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $352,000. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. CICC Research initiated coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, December 27th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.57.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

NYSE EL opened at $55.98 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.61. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.37 and a 12-month high of $149.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.10 billion, a PE ratio of -28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 430,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,583,580. The trade was a 11.09 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

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.

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