Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 21.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,222 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 924 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 22.1% in the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 63,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,203,000 after buying an additional 11,534 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 58.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 906 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Perennial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $649,000. Sendero Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $726,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $67.23 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $115.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.88.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently -57.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.15.

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