The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund reduced its holdings in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 26.1% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,704 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,363 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EL. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems raised its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 38,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,867,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 2.9% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 34,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,570,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 41.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $77.62 on Thursday. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.37 and a 12-month high of $113.85. The company has a market cap of $27.92 billion, a PE ratio of -32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 5.89% and a positive return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -57.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on EL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays raised their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down from $70.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.00.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.