Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC Acquires 158,516 Shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• Hardman Johnston Global Advisors increased its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies by 62.9%, buying 158,516 shares to own 410,664 shares worth about $43.0 million, which is ~2.0% of the firm's portfolio and ~0.11% of EL.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and a $101.60 average price target after several downgrades and target cuts (e.g., Wells Fargo to $75, Deutsche to $108); EL was trading around $72.43, well below its 12‑month high of $121.64.

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 62.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 410,664 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 158,516 shares during the quarter. Estee Lauder Companies comprises about 2.0% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $43,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $113.00 price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. HSBC downgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $106.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.60.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL opened at $72.43 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $26.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -144.86, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $92.58 and a 200 day moving average of $97.79. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.61 and a 12 month high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 17.59% and a negative net margin of 1.21%.The company had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is -280.00%.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc NYSE: EL is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company's portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.

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