Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on EL. Argus upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $107.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.50.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:EL opened at $115.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $101.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.51 billion, a PE ratio of -44.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.15. Estee Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $119.43.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.17. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.92%. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently -54.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total value of $364,748.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,196,785.96. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total transaction of $476,971.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 201,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,075,000 after purchasing an additional 23,717 shares during the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 188.0% in the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 69,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,232,000 after purchasing an additional 45,084 shares during the last quarter. Victory Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 67,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,106,000 after purchasing an additional 2,902 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.