The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Shares Sold by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. has reduced its stake in The Estee Lauder Companies, selling 34,400 shares, resulting in a total holding of approximately $12.12 million worth of stock.
• Many institutional investors have increased their positions in Estee Lauder, with some, like Winthrop Capital Management LLC, boosting their stake by 2,240% in the first quarter.
• Estee Lauder recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, with a payout ratio of -44.59%, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders despite recent earnings trends.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lowered its position in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 15.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 183,684 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,400 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.05% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $12,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock worth $6,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 442.5% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,367 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 57.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 626 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 70.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,753 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 27.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,620 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 3.6%

Estee Lauder Companies stock traded down $3.13 during midday 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 Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $103.44. The firm has a market cap of $30.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $89.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.28.

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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $101.00 to $99.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estee Lauder Companies

In related news, 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 sale, the director owned 15,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,418,650.35. The trade was a 19.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Lande Rashida La sold 6,417 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction 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. Insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies 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.