StockNews.com Lowers Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) to Hold

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on EL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $129.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $131.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.27.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock traded down $2.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $85.01. 9,445,531 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,138,583. Estée Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $82.39 and a 1 year high of $159.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.76, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

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

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% during 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 bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. PARK CIRCLE Co purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

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.