The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

Axa S.A. lessened its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 95.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,866 shares of the company’s stock after selling 209,348 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EL. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on EL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down from $92.00) on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $75.20.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

EL stock opened at $61.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.37. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $139.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.77.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share. Estée Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently -57.85%.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.