The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC cut its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 68.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 529,124 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,137,911 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $39,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,014,303 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,025,532,000 after purchasing an additional 2,344,210 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 163.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,382,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,078,406,000 after acquiring an additional 8,930,011 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,858,158 shares of the company's stock worth $589,205,000 after acquiring an additional 2,458,379 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $554,509,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 148.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,481,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,984,000 after acquiring an additional 3,278,632 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.20.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

NYSE:EL traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $63.75. 2,534,024 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,107,628. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap 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 simple moving average is $60.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.80. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $127.05.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.36. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The company's revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

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

Estée Lauder Companies 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.