Arlington Partners LLC Has $5.44 Million Position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL

Key Points

• Arlington Partners LLC has increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 18.8%, owning 67,359 shares now valued at approximately $5.44 million, making it the firm's third largest holding.
• Several hedge funds have significantly modified their holdings in Estee Lauder, with increases ranging from 57.3% to 2,240.0% in their positions during the first quarter.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Estee Lauder Companies stock, with Citigroup setting a new target of $99.00 and Deutsche Bank raising it to $100.00, reflecting a more favorable outlook.

Arlington Partners LLC grew its position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 67,359 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,673 shares during the period. Estee Lauder Companies comprises about 2.0% of Arlington Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Arlington Partners LLC's holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $5,443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in EL. Independent Franchise Partners LLP grew its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,976,434 shares of the company's stock valued at $526,445,000 after acquiring an additional 118,276 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 21.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,681,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $440,998,000 after buying an additional 1,200,537 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 34.9% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,511,115 shares of the company's stock worth $297,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167,508 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,088,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,866,000 after purchasing an additional 117,330 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.4% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,445,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $161,433,000 after purchasing an additional 80,387 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In other news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,702 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.65, for a total value of $339,288.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,418,650.35. The trade was a 19.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Lande Rashida La sold 6,417 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.88, for a total transaction of $589,593.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. HSBC upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $88.55.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EL traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $87.40. 1,940,401 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,952,831. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $103.44. The company's 50 day moving average price is $89.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.45 billion, a PE ratio of -27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.15.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.36 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 7.91% and a positive return on equity of 12.37%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.100 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -44.59%.

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.