Estee Lauder Companies Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:EL)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 7,138 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 46% compared to the average daily volume of 4,904 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 16.9%

Shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock traded up $14.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $98.50. 8,436,692 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,919,574. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $84.15 and a 200-day moving average of $86.79. Estee Lauder Companies has a 12 month low of $66.22 and a 12 month high of $121.64. The company has a market cap of $35.64 billion, a PE ratio of -140.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.55 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.67% and a positive return on equity of 20.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.09 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.84.

Key Estee Lauder Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose approximately 6% year over year to $3.64 billion, exceeding the $3.55 billion analyst consensus. Organic sales increased 5%, with growth across all geographic regions. Estée Lauder fiscal 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings reached $0.39 per share, beating expectations of $0.32 and rising sharply from $0.09 a year earlier. Full-year adjusted EPS increased to $2.51 from $1.51. Estée Lauder earnings and revenue beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its fiscal 2027 organic sales-growth target of 3% to 5% and raised its adjusted operating-margin outlook to 12.7%–13.5%, signaling confidence that sales momentum and cost controls will improve profitability. Estée Lauder forecasts annual profit above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The restructuring program is outperforming expectations, with benefits at the high end of the company’s prior range and an estimated net workforce reduction of about 10,000 positions. Stronger China demand and premium fragrance spending also supported the outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.10–$3.35 brackets the $3.18 consensus estimate, while projected revenue of $15.5–$15.8 billion begins at consensus.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent institutional positioning was mixed: Bank of America and BlackRock added shares, while FMR, Schroders, Victory Capital and DZ Bank reduced holdings. The median analyst price target reported by Quiver Quantitative is $90, though published targets range from $75 to $110.

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.