JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its price target lowered by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $131.00 to $121.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 21.50% from the company’s current price.

EL has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $111.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $83.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.27.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 3.0%

Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $99.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.36. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.46. The company has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a PE ratio of -199.18, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.14. Estee Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $121.64.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total transaction of $476,971.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total value of $364,748.76. Following the sale, the director owned 34,812 shares in the company, valued at $3,196,785.96. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Estee Lauder Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat expectations (EPS $0.89 vs. $0.84) and management raised full‑year sales/earnings guidance, supported by stronger China sales and progress on the “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround — a core reason buyers are returning. Business Wire: Fiscal Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokers showed support: Citigroup upgraded EL to “buy” with a $120 PT and Bank of America reiterated a Buy with re‑rating potential, signaling conviction among some institutional analysts that fundamentals and margin upside remain attractive. Benzinga: Citigroup Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend (record Feb 27; pay Mar 16), which supports income investors and can help stabilize shares amid the volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets but left constructive ratings: JPMorgan cut its PT to $121 while staying “overweight” and Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $105 with an “equal weight” call — suggesting cautious optimism but reduced upside assumptions. Benzinga: PT Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed “market perform” with a $105 target, reflecting mixed analyst views on short‑term growth versus longer‑term restructuring benefits. Benzinga: Telsey Reaffirmation
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned tariffs will shave roughly $100M off full‑year profitability (mostly in H2), pressuring margins and prompting talk of potential pricing actions — a clear near‑term headwind. CNBC: Tariff Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, the company’s cautious guidance and restructuring costs led to a heavy sell‑off (shares fell sharply earlier on the outlook and restructuring impact), showing how sensitive EL is to near‑term profit expectations. Investopedia: What Dragged Shares Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary questioning EL’s valuation and the pace of the turnaround have amplified volatility — several headlines ask whether to trim positions after the drop, keeping sentiment fragile in the near term. Forbes: Should You Cut Your Position?

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.