Norges Bank Invests $308.91 Million in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• Norges Bank bought a new stake in Estée Lauder during the fourth quarter, acquiring 2,949,886 shares valued at about $308.9 million. The position represents roughly 0.82% of the company.
• Estée Lauder reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.91 versus the $0.66 consensus and revenue of $3.71 billion, up 4.6% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $2.33 to $2.43 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, payable June 15, for an annualized yield of about 1.6%. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $101.63.

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,949,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $308,912,000. Norges Bank owned 0.82% of Estee Lauder Companies as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $85.76 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $78.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.82. The company has a market cap of $31.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -122.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.83 and a fifty-two week high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.67% and a positive return on equity of 20.66%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.430 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -200.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on EL. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.63.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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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