Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 357,545 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,541 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $88,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 116 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 614.3% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Align Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Endurance Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on EL shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $287.00 to $230.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $215.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $308.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $315.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $300.00 to $288.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.21.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $191.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.47 and a 52-week high of $284.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $229.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.56. The company has a market capitalization of $68.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.49, a P/E/G ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.01.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.04). Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 6.88% and a return on equity of 23.99%. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 30th. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is 87.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, insider Hudis Jane Hertzmark sold 9,869 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $1,973,306.55. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,280,629.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 12.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Estée Lauder Companies

(Get Rating)

The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc engages in the manufacture of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. It sells products under the following brand names: Estée Lauder, Clinique, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda and Too Faced. Its channels consist of department stores, multi-brand retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and prestige salons and spas.