JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Free Report) had its target price reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $72.00 to $61.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on EL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $82.52.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL traded down $1.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.76. 2,712,976 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,031,178. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $65.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. Estée Lauder Companies has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $149.91.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is presently -71.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Estée Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,392,000 after acquiring an additional 45,687 shares during the period. Harrell Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company's stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 3,524 shares during the period. Washington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $352,000. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

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.