GDS Wealth Management trimmed its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 12.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,639 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,820 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management's holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $6,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PARK CIRCLE Co purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth $35,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In related news, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total transaction of $743,259.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 295,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,045,982.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $315,963.41. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,800 shares in the company, valued at $4,578,114. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total transaction of $743,259.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 295,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,045,982.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,296 shares of company stock valued at $1,423,366. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.
Estée Lauder Companies Trading Up 1.6 %
Shares of EL traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $64.92. The stock had a trading volume of 3,848,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,433,836. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.88 and a 12-month high of $159.75. The firm has a market cap of $23.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $87.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.12.
Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is currently 471.43%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
EL has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup downgraded Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. HSBC lowered Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. 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 company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.90.
Get Our Latest Analysis on EL
About Estée Lauder Companies
(
Free Report)
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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