The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Director Paul J. Fribourg Acquires 43,000 Shares

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 43,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $65.09. The company had a trading volume of 4,661,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,463,327. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.23, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.03. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.29 and a 52-week high of $159.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 250.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday. HSBC lowered Estée Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 30.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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