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

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors acquired 7,383 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 41% compared to the typical volume of 5,237 put options.

Estee Lauder Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and guidance were broadly supportive — EL reported an EPS beat and raised/confirmed FY26 guidance in its latest release, which underpins the near-term upside and explains part of the buying. Quarterly Results
• Positive Sentiment: Legal action against Walmart — EL sued Walmart over alleged counterfeit sales on its marketplace; investors may view this as protective of brand equity and future margins if it limits gray-market dilution. Estee Lauder sues Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwind — coverage noting rotation into consumer staples/defensive names highlights renewed investor interest in EL as part of that group, giving thematic support to the stock. Sector Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are mixed — coverage pieces discuss conflicting views on consumer names including EL, reflecting divergent expectations that can increase volatility without clear directional bias. Analysts Conflicted
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple downgrades and lower targets — Zacks and HSBC moved EL from stronger ratings to “hold,” and TD Cowen trimmed its price target to $115; these actions reduce buy-side conviction and cap near-term upside. Zacks downgrade TickerReport TD Cowen PT cut HSBC downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays issues a pessimistic forecast — another bearish take that could pressure sentiment and contribute to downside risk if other firms follow suit. Barclays forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual put buying — elevated put option volume indicates some traders positioning for a near-term decline, adding short-term downside risk. (Options activity reported 7,383 puts, ~41% above average.)

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $105.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.73. The stock has a market cap of $38.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -211.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.14. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1-year low of $48.37 and a 1-year high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. The firm 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 revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. Analysts predict that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is -280.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $94.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. HSBC downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $106.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $111.00 to $105.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.36.

Insider Transactions at Estee Lauder Companies

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total value of $476,971.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 556.8% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,554,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,570,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,473 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at $337,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at $331,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 539.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,245,000 after purchasing an additional 193,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 50.1% during the 2nd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 151,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,247,000 after purchasing an additional 50,625 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.