Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Hits New 12-Month Low on Analyst Downgrade

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Bank of America lowered their price target on the stock from $170.00 to $140.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. Estée Lauder Companies traded as low as $102.16 and last traded at $102.59, with a volume of 1595061 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $104.21.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on EL. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $169.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Bernstein Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total transaction of $1,967,134.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,412,971.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,255 shares of company stock valued at $5,453,232 in the last 90 days. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 163.0% during the 1st quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 1.4 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $120.96 and its 200-day moving average is $135.25. The firm has a market cap of $36.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently 148.32%.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.