Independent Franchise Partners LLP Has $589.21 Million Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Independent Franchise Partners LLP raised its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 45.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,858,158 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,458,379 shares during the quarter. Estée Lauder Companies accounts for 4.4% of Independent Franchise Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Independent Franchise Partners LLP owned about 2.19% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $589,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $81.57.

Insider Activity

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

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Up 3.2 %

NYSE:EL traded up $1.71 on Friday, reaching $54.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,344,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,047,691. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a PE ratio of -27.88, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50-day moving average price is $65.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.64. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.37 and a 1-year high of $149.91.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 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 business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 declared 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. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -71.79%.

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