NorthRock Partners LLC Invests $314,000 in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,506 shares of the company's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the company's stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

NYSE EL traded down $0.67 on Friday, reaching $63.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,534,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,100,010. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of -32.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $60.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.74. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $127.27.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -57.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. B. Riley reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price target (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $75.20.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.