Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup cut its price target on Estee Lauder from $120 to $92 but maintained a "buy" rating, a target that implies roughly a 21% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Analyst views are mixed—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with a $99.10 target (ratings: 1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy, 10 Hold, 2 Sell) and several firms (UBS, Barclays, Deutsche Bank) have recently lowered their targets.
• Shares trade near $75.76, down ~0.9%, with a 12‑month range of $51.97–$121.64 and $27.4B market cap; the company slightly beat the last quarter's EPS and saw revenue rise 5.6%, while FY2026 guidance is $2.03–$2.23 EPS.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by analysts at Citigroup from $120.00 to $92.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price target would suggest a potential upside of 21.43% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on EL. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $107.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $94.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $99.10.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE EL traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $75.76. 1,113,800 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,674,098. Estee Lauder Companies has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $121.64. The firm has a market cap of $27.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -151.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $90.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.21% and a positive return on equity of 17.59%. Estee Lauder Companies's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the 3rd 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. 55.15% of the stock is currently 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.

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