Norway Savings Bank Sells 255 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Norway Savings Bank reduced its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,390 shares of the company’s stock after selling 255 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,435,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,842,514,000 after purchasing an additional 809,370 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 6.0% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,483,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $648,085,000 after acquiring an additional 254,198 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,151,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,169,000 after acquiring an additional 496,308 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,720,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,850,000 after acquiring an additional 1,512,982 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $518,975,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on EL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $160.00 to $159.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.75.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

In other news, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total value of $1,967,134.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,412,971.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Estée Lauder Companies news, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total transaction of $1,967,134.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,248 shares in the company, valued at $6,412,971.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,255 shares of company stock valued at $5,453,232. Corporate insiders own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $106.40 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.22. The firm has a market cap of $38.15 billion, a PE ratio of 59.78, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.04. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.22 and a 1 year high of $198.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. Analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.32%.

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.