Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Estee Lauder Companies' stock reached a new 52-week high at $104.53, closing at $102.57, with a trading volume of over 4.4 million shares.
• Analysts have upgraded the stock's ratings, with Goldman Sachs raising its target price from $76 to $115, indicating a current consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $91.30.
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.09 per share, beating estimates, though revenue decreased 11.9% from the prior year, and it has projected FY 2026 EPS between 1.900-2.100.

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $104.53 and last traded at $102.57, with a volume of 4416218 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $100.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on EL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Estee Lauder Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $76.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $63.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $91.30.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $90.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.50. The firm has a market cap of $36.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -32.67, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.16.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 7.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. Analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Estee Lauder Companies's payout ratio is currently -44.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, VP Lande Rashida La sold 6,417 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.88, for a total transaction of $589,593.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,702 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.65, for a total transaction of $339,288.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,418,650.35. This represents a 19.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 13.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,904,441 shares of the company's stock worth $2,173,879,000 after acquiring an additional 341,235 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 0.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,859,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $877,451,000 after purchasing an additional 69,959 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,976,434 shares of the company's stock worth $526,445,000 after purchasing an additional 118,276 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 13.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,596,379 shares of the company's stock worth $613,787,000 after purchasing an additional 914,594 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 17.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,912,792 shares of the company's stock worth $475,710,000 after purchasing an additional 892,631 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.

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