Hartford Investment Management Co. Reduces Stock Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Hartford Investment Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,627 shares of the company’s stock after selling 311 shares during the period. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 6.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,686,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,188,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250,555 shares in the last quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 3,466,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,320 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,163,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,612,000 after purchasing an additional 140,416 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,962,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,262,000 after purchasing an additional 318,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 3,065.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,983,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000,000 after buying an additional 1,920,439 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $87.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.01. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.39 and a 12 month high of $159.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.01, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.01. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 19th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.07 EPS. Estée Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 148.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total value of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,714.49. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $315,963.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,578,114. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 value of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at $1,423,714.49. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $180.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $131.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.91.

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