Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Reduces Holdings in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services cut its stake in Estee Lauder by 14.0% in Q4, selling 38,944 shares and ending the quarter with 240,126 shares (≈0.07% ownership) worth about $25.15 million.
• Estee Lauder beat Q results (EPS $0.89 vs. $0.84) with revenue up 5.6% to $4.23B and set FY26 guidance of $2.03–$2.23 EPS, yet the consensus analyst rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $99.10 while the stock trades near $76.53.
• Other large institutions increased positions — notably State Street, BNY Mellon, Schroders and Victory Capital (which added ~2.24M shares) — leaving institutional ownership at about 55.15% of the company.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its stake in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 240,126 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,944 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.07% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $25,146,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,118,587 shares of the company's stock valued at $979,770,000 after acquiring an additional 259,048 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 46.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,112,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $538,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937,107 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,853,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $254,348,000 after acquiring an additional 642,051 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,451,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $215,993,000 after acquiring an additional 9,969 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 3,181.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,312,535 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,781,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,062 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 0.1%

EL opened at $76.53 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $27.68 billion, a PE ratio of -153.06, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.04 and a 200-day moving average of $97.50. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -280.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on EL. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. HSBC lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $106.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $120.00 to $92.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $107.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $99.10.

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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