The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Bought by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 79.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,166,003 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 515,849 shares during the quarter. Estée Lauder Companies makes up about 1.6% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.33% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $179,739,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In other news, insider Peter Jueptner sold 12,786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.62, for a total value of $1,670,107.32. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,598.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Peter Jueptner sold 12,786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.62, for a total transaction of $1,670,107.32. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,598.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,958,990.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,255 shares of company stock worth $5,453,232 in the last three months. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $105.33. 122,024 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,796,330. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.77 billion, a PE ratio of 59.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.99. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.22 and a fifty-two week high of $198.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.18.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.49. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 13.08% and a net margin of 4.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 EPS 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 issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 148.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America raised Estée Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $169.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.75.

Estée Lauder Companies 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.