Peter Jueptner Sells 12,786 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Stock

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) insider Peter Jueptner sold 12,786 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.62, for a total transaction of $1,670,107.32. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,598.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 3.1 %

EL traded down $4.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $126.75. 2,156,918 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,771,900. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.22 and a 1 year high of $204.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $141.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.54. The firm has a market cap of $45.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.49. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 148.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on EL. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Raymond James increased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Bernstein Bank increased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the first quarter worth $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 82.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.