Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 9,268 call options on the company. This is an increase of 62% compared to the average daily volume of 5,717 call options.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL opened at $70.46 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $25.49 billion, a PE ratio of -140.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.36. Estee Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $121.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.54.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 17.59% and a negative net margin of 1.21%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is -280.00%.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on EL shares. Wall Street Zen raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $113.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $102.76.

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.