Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Cut to Equal Weight at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $72.00 price objective on the stock, down from their previous price objective of $105.00.

EL has been the subject of several other research reports. HSBC cut shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $108.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $104.18.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 3.4 %

NYSE:EL opened at $66.58 on Thursday. Estée Lauder Companies has a 12-month low of $63.36 and a 12-month high of $159.75. The firm has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 118.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $90.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.21.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Estée Lauder Companies will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 471.43%.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total value of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at $1,423,714.49. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total transaction of $364,142.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,423,714.49. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $315,963.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares in the company, valued at $4,578,114. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 163.0% in the first quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 3,262.5% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, PARK CIRCLE Co acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

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