KBC Group NV Has $25.30 Million Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

KBC Group NV increased its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 36.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 253,764 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 67,748 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.07% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $25,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 9,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 2,113 shares in the last quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 111,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,067,000 after buying an additional 32,215 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co boosted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 48.5% during the third quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 4,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 1,557 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 97.8% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 160,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,985,000 after acquiring an additional 79,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 14,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,290 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

EL stock opened at $63.79 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $85.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.05. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.29 and a 1 year high of $159.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.59 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently 471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EL shares. HSBC lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. B. Riley cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Estée Lauder Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $113.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Estée Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $98.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total value of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at $1,423,714.49. This trade represents a 20.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total transaction of $743,259.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 295,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,045,982.88. This represents a 3.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,296 shares of company stock worth $1,423,366 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies 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, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.