Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $115.00 to $130.00. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock. Estee Lauder Companies traded as high as $119.75 and last traded at $119.8160, with a volume of 422290 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $117.87.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $107.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.78.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the sale, the director owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,196,785.96. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total transaction of $476,971.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $189,663,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3,181.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,312,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,062 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 3,986.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,082,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,485,000 after buying an additional 2,031,262 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 46.4% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,112,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 593.3% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,211,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892,629 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $43.05 billion, a PE ratio of -46.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $104.06 and a 200-day moving average of $95.44.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently -54.26%.

About Estee Lauder Companies

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.