The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Stock Has Average Target Price of $104.76

Shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $104.76.

EL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $97.00 to $108.00 in a report on Monday, October 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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, Weiss Ratings upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $97.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $35.42 billion, a PE ratio of 199.77, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $95.26 and its 200 day moving average is $85.71. Estee Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $66.22 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 23.52%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently 285.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total value of $373,045.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,036,954.22. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg sold 58,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.17, for a total transaction of $5,693,860.00. Following the sale, the director owned 417,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,966,341. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 75,105 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,185. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 35.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 415 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1,732.5% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

About Estee Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global beauty company that develops, markets and sells prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, La Mer, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, Aveda, The Ordinary and Tom Ford Beauty.

The company’s products are distributed through department stores, specialty retailers, freestanding stores, e-commerce platforms, travel retail outlets and other channels. Estée Lauder serves consumers in numerous markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Estée Lauder was founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder and her husband, Joseph Lauder, beginning with a small collection of skincare products.