Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Given New $80.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its price target lifted by UBS Group from $74.00 to $80.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. CICC Research assumed coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, December 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $93.55.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL stock opened at $77.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Estée Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $62.29 and a fifty-two week high of $159.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $73.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.64. The firm has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 139.04, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 1.02.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 250.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 75,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.93 per share, with a total value of $4,902,215.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 310,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,128,300. This represents a 32.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total value of $743,259.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 295,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,045,982.88. The trade was a 3.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 2,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $798,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.