Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Gets Price Target Bump from Citigroup

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Citigroup from $121.00 to $132.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 17.13% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $116.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, B. Riley Financial restated a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $85.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.73.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE EL traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $112.70. The company had a trading volume of 1,897,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,810,539. Estee Lauder Companies has a twelve month low of $66.22 and a twelve month high of $121.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.77 billion, a PE ratio of 112.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $100.93 and its 200-day moving average is $91.71.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.21. Estee Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 26.99% and a net margin of 2.41%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total value of $373,045.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,036,954.22. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rashida La Lande sold 7,766 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total value of $802,383.12. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,483,365.24. This represents a 35.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 170,774 shares of company stock worth $17,996,564 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 950.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,843,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $993,567,000 after purchasing an additional 12,526,471 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 33.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,909,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,074,000 after buying an additional 482,185 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 26.9% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,827,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,538,000 after buying an additional 387,596 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the third quarter valued at about $134,551,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 44.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,192,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,559,000 after buying an additional 365,651 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Estee Lauder Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Estée Lauder’s China business is showing signs of improvement, and analysts see further potential as the company works to grow sales and margins. That outlook may reinforce confidence in its turnaround. Estee Lauder’s China Business Is Looking Good. That Helps Its Turnaround.
• Positive Sentiment: The company also recently introduced a “Mastering Skin Longevity” skincare platform, a product initiative that could support its innovation and growth efforts. Estée Lauder Companies Unveils Mastering Skin Longevity Platform
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed overall, though the reported consensus is “Moderate Buy.” Recent target increases and positive ratings offer support, while numerous Hold ratings suggest investors may still want clearer evidence of a sustained recovery. Estée Lauder Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?
• Negative Sentiment: Director Paul Fribourg disclosed sales totaling about 91,000 shares across two transactions in early November. Insider selling can weigh on sentiment, although it does not necessarily signal a view on the company’s future performance. Director Paul Fribourg Sells 20,972 Shares

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is a global prestige beauty company founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder. Based in New York City, it develops, markets and sells beauty products under a portfolio of brands, including Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, La Mer, Aveda and Jo Malone London. The company’s products span skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care. It reaches consumers through department stores, specialty retailers, its own stores and websites, and other online and travel-retail channels.