Arizona State Retirement System Boosts Stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 4.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,472 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,170 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $4,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,390,000. American Assets Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $487,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $358,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 415.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,565 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $86.03 on Wednesday. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.37 and a 52-week high of $103.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $73.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -57.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. HSBC raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $63.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.95.

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.