QV Investors Inc. Grows Position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• QV Investors increased its Estee Lauder position by 33.7% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 136,530 shares valued at approximately $10.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 55.15% of EL.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $104.67. Recent targets ranged from $100 to $115, including an “Overweight” rating from Piper Sandler and a “Buy” rating from Citigroup.
• Estee Lauder exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.39 in adjusted earnings per share versus $0.32 expected and revenue of $3.64 billion versus $3.55 billion projected. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, although its annualized payout ratio is elevated at 285.71%.

QV Investors Inc. raised its holdings in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 33.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 136,530 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 34,410 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.'s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $10,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 950.9% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,843,765 shares of the company's stock valued at $993,567,000 after purchasing an additional 12,526,471 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 185.3% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,140,550 shares of the company's stock worth $861,596,000 after buying an additional 5,286,875 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 4,281.3% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 4,094,761 shares of the company's stock worth $4,094,761,000 after buying an additional 4,001,300 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $308,912,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 3,986.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,082,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $183,485,000 after buying an additional 2,031,262 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EL. B. Riley Financial restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 price target (up from $85.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research cut Estee Lauder Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $104.67.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

EL stock opened at $103.36 on Monday. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.22 and a 1 year high of $121.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $86.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.37. The firm has a market cap of $37.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 210.94, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.25.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 23.52% and a net margin of 1.21%.Estee Lauder Companies's revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.09 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 285.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Lande Rashida La sold 5,564 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.55, for a total value of $553,896.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $553,896.20. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 13.05% of the company's stock.

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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