Quest Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Quest Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 41.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,251 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EL. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the first quarter worth 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. PARK CIRCLE Co acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:EL opened at $84.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.90. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.39 and a fifty-two week high of $159.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.51, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.00.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 19th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.39. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 16.91% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm had revenue of $3.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 148.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $129.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $131.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $165.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $108.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total value of $364,142.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,714.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total value of $315,963.41. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,578,114. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total transaction of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,714.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.