Moors & Cabot Inc. Makes New Investment in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Key Points

• Moors & Cabot Inc. has acquired a new position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., purchasing 3,827 shares valued at approximately $253,000.
• Multiple institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Estee Lauder, with FMR LLC boosting its stake by 163.8% during the last quarter.
• Estee Lauder's stock performance shows significant variability, having a one-year low of $48.37 and a high of $103.44, with a current trading price of approximately $90.95.

Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $253,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,382,579 shares of the company's stock worth $1,078,406,000 after acquiring an additional 8,930,011 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,858,158 shares of the company's stock worth $589,205,000 after buying an additional 2,458,379 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $554,509,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 148.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,481,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,984,000 after buying an additional 3,278,632 shares during the period. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 3,608,142 shares of the company's stock worth $270,538,000 after buying an additional 385,677 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EL. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $62.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.50.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 1.0%

EL stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $90.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,329,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,721,839. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $32.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average of $81.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.32. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.37 and a 52-week high of $103.44.

About Estee 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.