Van ECK Associates Corp Lowers Stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,673,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 678,941 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $384,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on EL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.65.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of EL stock opened at $89.64 on Friday. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.22 and a 12 month high of $121.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $80.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.58. The company has a market cap of $32.43 billion, a PE ratio of -128.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.25. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 20.66% and a negative net margin of 1.67%.The company had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.430 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently -200.00%.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.