Candriam S.C.A. Buys 24,469 Shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 168.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,966 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,469 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $3,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 69.5% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth $42,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on EL. Citigroup raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays cut their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $94.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Argus upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In related news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were 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 available at this link. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Estee Lauder Companies

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 quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.36. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.37 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.03 billion, a PE ratio of -211.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.14.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. 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 will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -280.00%.

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.