Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Director Sells 70,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director Paul Fribourg sold 70,000 shares for about $7.7 million at an average price of $110.21, reducing his stake by 17.66%; he retained 326,328 shares.
• Estee Lauder reported quarterly EPS of $0.72, beating the $0.51 consensus, while revenue of $3.72 billion exceeded estimates and rose 6.7% year over year.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy”, with an average price target of $110.31; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share.

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) Director Paul Fribourg sold 70,000 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total value of $7,714,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 326,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,964,608.88. The trade was a 17.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Up 4.3%

Estee Lauder Companies stock traded up $4.72 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $114.78. 1,505,274 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,806,429. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.22 and a 12-month high of $121.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $100.73 and a 200 day moving average of $91.73. The firm has a market cap of $41.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.67, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.21. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 26.99%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Estee Lauder Companies's payout ratio is presently 140.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.31.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 24.9% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,137,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,826,000 after purchasing an additional 226,888 shares during the period. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,750,000. S&CO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,586,000. Chapin Davis Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $9,339,000. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $7,608,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc is a global prestige beauty company founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder. Based in New York City, it develops, markets and sells beauty products under a portfolio of brands, including Estée Lauder, Clinique, M·A·C, La Mer, Aveda and Jo Malone London.

The company's products span skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care. It reaches consumers through department stores, specialty retailers, its own stores and websites, and other online and travel-retail channels.

The Estée Lauder Companies serves customers in more than 150 countries and territories.

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