The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 27.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 391,946 shares of the company's stock after selling 145,661 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.11% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $29,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 9.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,575,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,054,314,000 after purchasing an additional 913,470 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,723,746 shares of the company's stock worth $570,600,000 after buying an additional 2,533,006 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,996,404 shares of the company's stock worth $374,630,000 after buying an additional 954,493 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 1.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,679,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,587,000 after acquiring an additional 70,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,971,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330,840 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Up 5.6 %

NYSE:EL traded up $3.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $71.91. 3,106,407 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,212,714. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.29 and a twelve month high of $159.54. The business has a 50-day moving average of $74.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.89. The company has a market capitalization of $25.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.87, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.08. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.88 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EL has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, December 27th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.