The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Shares Bought by Saudi Central Bank

Saudi Central Bank lifted its holdings in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 90.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,305 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,230 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $1,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $94.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, China Intl Cap upgraded Estee Lauder Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.67.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Down 2.1%

EL opened at $101.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.78 billion, a PE ratio of 207.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.22 and a 12-month high of $121.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $89.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.09.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. Estee Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 23.52% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.09 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is 285.71%.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In related news, VP Rashida La Lande sold 7,766 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total value of $802,383.12. Following the sale, the vice president owned 14,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,483,365.24. This trade represents a 35.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.