The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Two Sigma Investments LP

Two Sigma Investments LP lessened its stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 80.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 436,457 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,798,864 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.12% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $32,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EL. Harrell Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company's stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 3,524 shares in the last quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $352,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock worth $6,838,000 after buying an additional 4,690 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA lifted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 1,538,034 shares of the company's stock worth $115,322,000 after buying an additional 30,971 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of EL traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $63.75. 2,534,024 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,100,010. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.37 and a twelve month high of $127.27. The stock has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of -32.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.36. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -57.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on EL shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 target price (down from $70.00) on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $75.20.

About Estée 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.