The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Stock Holdings Increased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies by 22.6% in Q1, owning 173,927 shares valued at approximately $11,479,000.
• Estee Lauder recently reported earnings of $0.65 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.29, although its revenue of $2.66 billion fell short of the projected $3.51 billion.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Estee Lauder, with eight buy ratings, one strong buy, and a consensus target price of $84.50 for the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 22.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 173,927 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,098 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Estee Lauder Companies were worth $11,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EL. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,690 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $487,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,032,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 568.4% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 150,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,256,000 after acquiring an additional 127,699 shares during the period. Finally, Korea Investment CORP grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 352,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,408,000 after acquiring an additional 17,519 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:EL traded down $0.45 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $92.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 920,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,168,141. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.41. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $103.44. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $77.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.60. The company has a market capitalization of $33.12 billion, a PE ratio of -38.05, a PEG ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.17.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 15.60% and a negative net margin of 5.89%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Estee Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -57.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price target (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Estee Lauder Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $62.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Citigroup boosted 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. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.50.

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.