The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. $EL Stock: Vontobel Holding Ltd. Cuts Holdings

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding cut its Estee Lauder stake by 27.4% in the third quarter, selling 16,440 shares and retaining 43,585 shares valued at approximately $4.04 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 55.15% of EL.
• Estee Lauder reported quarterly EPS of $0.39, beating estimates of $0.32, while revenue rose 6.3% year over year to $3.64 billion. The company issued fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $3.10–$3.35.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock holding an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $105.24. EL recently traded at $104.53 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.35, yielding about 1.3%.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,585 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,440 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $4,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 950.9% in the 1st 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. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $134,551,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 910.3% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 707,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,792,000 after purchasing an additional 637,641 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 33.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,909,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,074,000 after buying an additional 482,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 1,629.2% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 412,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,572,000 after buying an additional 388,711 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

EL opened at $104.53 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $96.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $37.82 billion, a PE ratio of 213.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.27. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.22 and a 1 year high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 23.52%. The business's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.09 EPS. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 285.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $86.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.24.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Paul Fribourg sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.17, for a total transaction of $5,693,860.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 417,300 shares in the company, valued at $40,966,341. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.82, for a total value of $373,045.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,036,954.22. This represents a 6.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 75,105 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,185 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc NYSE: EL is a global prestige beauty company that develops, markets and sells skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair-care products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Tom Ford Beauty, Le Labo and The Ordinary.

Founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the company began with four skincare products and has expanded into a multinational beauty business. Its products are sold through department and specialty stores, beauty retailers, brand-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, salons, spas and other distribution channels.

The Estée Lauder Companies serves consumers in markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

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