The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Shares Bought by Rathbones Group PLC

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in Estée Lauder by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 29,312 shares and bringing its total to 251,351 shares valued at about $26.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally constructive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.68, even though some firms recently lowered targets or maintained hold/sell views.
• Estée Lauder beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.91 versus $0.66 expected and revenue of $3.71 billion, while also setting FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.33 to 2.43.

Rathbones Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 251,351 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 29,312 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.07% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $26,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% in 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 in the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EL. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings cut Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, May 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Estee Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.68.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $78.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -112.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $77.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.92. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.57 and a 1 year high of $121.64.

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

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Estee Lauder Companies's payout ratio is -200.00%.

More Estee Lauder Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Estée Lauder and Puig terminated discussions over a potential business combination, clearing away months of takeover speculation and refocusing attention on EL’s standalone recovery strategy. Reuters: Estee Lauder and Puig end talks over possible merger
• Positive Sentiment: Investors may see the end of deal talks as a sign that management can keep prioritizing cost cuts, restructuring, and earnings improvement rather than pursuing a complex acquisition. Business Wire: The Estée Lauder Companies & Puig End Discussions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary has also pointed to improving margin expectations and a broader recovery narrative in prestige beauty, which may be adding support to the stock. TipRanks: Estée Lauder Signals Margin Rebound After Upbeat Call

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

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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