The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $329.75.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EL. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $365.00 to $320.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $338.00 to $317.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $289.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $361.00 to $322.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 4th.

In related news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 1,158 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.34, for a total transaction of $275,997.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,160,985.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Carl P. Haney sold 1,965 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.92, for a total transaction of $467,512.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,074,208.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 13.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. American National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 147.6% during the first quarter. American National Bank now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Icapital Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 73.9% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 58.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock traded up $11.46 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $251.86. 1,820,432 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,681,269. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $90.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.56, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.04. Estée Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $225.39 and a 52 week high of $374.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $257.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $300.99.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 3rd. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 18.53%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.62 EPS. Estée Lauder Companies’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Estée Lauder Companies will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 31st will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 27th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.26%.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile (Get Rating)

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. The company offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, 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.

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