Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC Takes Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,268 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harrell Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 3,524 shares during the last quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $352,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock worth $6,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,129,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $75.20.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE:EL traded up $1.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $65.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,447,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,090,231. The company has a market capitalization of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $138.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.12.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is presently -57.85%.

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.