Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $119.61, but opened at $104.75. Estee Lauder Companies shares last traded at $93.4820, with a volume of 4,385,705 shares changing hands.

More Estee Lauder Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat — EL posted $0.89 EPS vs. $0.84 consensus and revenue of $4.23B (up ~5.6% YoY), showing resilient demand across regions. Zacks: EL Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management and CEO cite progress on the “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround and raised sales outlook, underpinning confidence in improving China demand and operational changes. Reuters: Estee Lauder raises annual sales forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: FY26 guidance set to $2.03–$2.23 EPS and revenue $14.8–$15.0B — guidance still implies growth but the EPS range sits around/below some consensus expectations, leaving investor judgment mixed. Business Wire: Fiscal 2026 Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: RBC reiterated an “Outperform” with a $113 target, which provides a constructive near-term technical/analyst backdrop. AmericanBankingNews: RBC Reiterates Outperform
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff headwind — company warns tariffs will reduce profit by ~ $100M (mostly in H2), a direct hit to margins that analysts note will pressure full-year profit. WSJ: Estee Lauder Lifts Outlook, Warns of Tariff Impact
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring and one-time charges materially reduced reported profit this quarter — coverage notes the restructuring wiped out roughly half of quarterly profit, amplifying the headline impact despite the beat. Barron’s: Restructuring and Tariffs Take Bite Out of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure persists: despite positive ROE, the company reported a negative net margin, underscoring conversion of revenue into profit remains a near-term concern. Zacks: Key Metrics vs. Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.00.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $32.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $108.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.31.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 14.92% and a negative net margin of 6.44%.The company had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estee Lauder Companies

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total value of $476,971.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.