Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Sees Heavy Put Option Buying

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 40,819 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 767% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,708 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on EL. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul Fribourg sold 58,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.17, for a total transaction of $5,693,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 417,300 shares in the company, valued at $40,966,341. The trade was a 12.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total value of $373,045.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,036,954.22. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 75,105 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,185. Insiders own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 950.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,843,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $993,567,000 after acquiring an additional 12,526,471 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth $134,551,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 910.3% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 707,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,792,000 after purchasing an additional 637,641 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 33.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,909,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,074,000 after purchasing an additional 482,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1,629.2% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 412,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,572,000 after purchasing an additional 388,711 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 0.7%

Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $105.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $38.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.00, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $100.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.81. Estee Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $66.22 and a 52 week high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 26.99%. Estee Lauder Companies’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 285.71%.

Trending Headlines about Estee Lauder Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q1 results beat expectations: adjusted EPS was $0.72 versus roughly $0.51 expected, while revenue of $3.72 billion topped the $3.65 billion consensus and rose 6.7% year over year. Fragrance growth and improved margins helped drive the stronger performance. Company earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2027 outlook, projecting organic sales growth of 4%–5.5%, revenue of $15.8–$16.0 billion, and EPS of $3.20–$3.45. The revenue range is above analysts’ prior consensus, reinforcing expectations that the turnaround is gaining traction. Reuters outlook report
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms lifted price targets after the results. RBC raised its target to $126 and kept an Outperform rating; Citi set $121 with a Buy rating, and JPMorgan set $120 with an Overweight rating. RBC recommendation Citi recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: The improved full-year organic growth forecast is below the approximately 6% pace reported for Q1, and growth was concentrated in fragrance while some other categories were nearly flat. This suggests the recovery may not be uniform through the year. Earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option volume surged to 40,819 contracts, about 767% above its average daily volume. The jump may reflect increased hedging or bearish positioning, although options activity alone does not establish a direction for the shares.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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

Founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the company began with four skincare products and has expanded into a multinational beauty business. Its products are sold through department and specialty stores, beauty retailers, brand-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, salons, spas and other distribution channels.

The Estée Lauder Companies serves consumers in markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific.