North Dakota State Investment Board Sells 27,688 Shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board cut its Estee Lauder position by 78.6% in the third quarter, selling 27,688 shares and retaining 7,557 shares valued at approximately $701,000. Institutional investors collectively own 55.15% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with an average price target of $106.92; individual targets range from $100 to $125.
• Estee Lauder exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.39 in adjusted earnings per share versus a $0.32 estimate and $3.64 billion in revenue, up 6.3% year over year. However, insiders sold 75,105 shares worth $7.42 million over the past 90 days.

North Dakota State Investment Board decreased its position in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 78.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,557 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,688 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board's holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 415 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.1% during the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,520 shares of the company's stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.0% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1.3% during the third quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 10,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 64,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,632,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. B. Riley Financial reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $85.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $106.00 to $104.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Estee Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Rashida La Lande sold 7,766 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total transaction of $802,383.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,483,365.24. The trade was a 35.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total transaction of $373,045.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,036,954.22. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 75,105 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,185 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 0.5%

Estee Lauder Companies stock opened at $109.35 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.22 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The company has a market capitalization of $39.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 223.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $100.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.92.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 23.52%. Estee Lauder Companies's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.09 EPS. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 285.71%.

Estee Lauder Companies Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc NYSE: EL is a global prestige beauty company that develops, markets and sells skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair-care products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Tom Ford Beauty, Le Labo and The Ordinary.

Founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the company began with four skincare products and has expanded into a multinational beauty business. Its products are sold through department and specialty stores, beauty retailers, brand-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, salons, spas and other distribution channels.

The Estée Lauder Companies serves consumers in markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

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