Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Upgraded at Hsbc Global Res

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Hsbc Global Res from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on EL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price target (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.45.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

EL opened at $80.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $28.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.17, a PEG ratio of 8.16 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $66.28 and its 200 day moving average is $68.90. Estee Lauder Companies has a 12-month low of $48.37 and a 12-month high of $110.19.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.36. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 5.89% and a positive return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. Estee Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at $635,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 50,185 shares of the company's stock worth $3,312,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 2.9% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,200 shares of the company's stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $11,257,000. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estee 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.

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