Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Invests $2.26 Million in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired 34,202 shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., valued at approximately $2,257,000, during the first quarter of 2023.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Independent Franchise Partners and Invesco Ltd., have increased their stakes in Estee Lauder, highlighting a strong interest with 55.15% of shares now owned by institutional investors.
• HSBC upgraded Estee Lauder from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, raising its price target from $80.00 to $99.00, while the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $87.80.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 34,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,257,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EL. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $487,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 117.6% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 20,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,000 after purchasing an additional 11,243 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 9,695 shares of the company's stock valued at $727,000 after purchasing an additional 1,626 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on EL shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $63.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $62.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $99.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $62.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.80.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In other news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 15,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,418,650.35. This trade represents a 19.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Lande Rashida La sold 6,417 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.88, for a total transaction of $589,593.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Down 3.6%

Estee Lauder Companies stock traded down $3.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.68. 3,242,681 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,000,579. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $103.44. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $89.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.65, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.15.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. The company's revenue was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -44.59%.

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.