The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Stake Increased by Independent Franchise Partners LLP

Key Points

• Independent Franchise Partners LLP increased its stake in The Estee Lauder Companies by 1.5% in Q1, owning approximately 2.22% of the company, valued at $526.4 million.
• Several institutional investors have also raised their holdings in Estee Lauder, with Invesco increasing its stake by 21.9% and American Century Companies by 34.9%.
• Analysts have varied ratings on EL shares, with HSBC upgrading to a "buy" and setting a price target of $99.00, while B. Riley reduced its target to $60.00.

Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,976,434 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 118,276 shares during the period. Estee Lauder Companies accounts for 3.8% of Independent Franchise Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Independent Franchise Partners LLP owned approximately 2.22% of Estee Lauder Companies worth $526,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,200,537 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 34.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,511,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,508 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at $35,607,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 133.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 781,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,570,000 after acquiring an additional 446,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 3,608,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $270,538,000 after acquiring an additional 385,677 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on EL shares. HSBC raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $80.00 to $99.00 in a report on Friday, June 27th. B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price target (down from $70.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $87.80.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

EL stock opened at $91.0830 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.01, a PEG ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 1.18. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $103.44. The stock's fifty day moving average is $86.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.29.

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

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -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.

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