Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

EL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $83.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $131.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $105.54 on Monday. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $121.64. The firm has a market cap of $38.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -211.08, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $109.37 and a 200 day moving average of $97.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $476,971.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 33.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,749 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 19,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after buying an additional 1,905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.)

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.