The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Shares Bought by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management increased its stake in Estée Lauder by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, holding 2.73 million shares worth about $285.5 million at quarter-end.
• Analysts are mixed but generally constructive on the stock: the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $100.65, though some firms recently trimmed or raised targets.
• Estée Lauder reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.91 per share on revenue of $3.71 billion, and it also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share.

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,726,234 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 413,699 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.76% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $285,491,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EL. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, May 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $100.65.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 1.8%

EL stock opened at $89.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -128.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.22 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $80.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.25. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.67% and a positive return on equity of 20.66%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.430 EPS. On average, research analysts expect 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 $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is -200.00%.

Estee Lauder Companies 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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