Cacti Asset Management LLC Buys 4,000 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Cacti Asset Management LLC boosted its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 133.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Cacti Asset Management LLC's holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 278.2% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 658 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on EL shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Estée Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.15.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 2.5%

EL traded down $1.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.92. 4,617,461 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,122,570. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.07 billion, a PE ratio of -34.32, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $60.33 and its 200 day moving average is $68.82. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $125.90.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -57.85%.

About Estée 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.