TD Cowen Issues Positive Forecast for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised Estée Lauder’s price target from $90 to $100 but maintained a “hold” rating, implying roughly 3% upside from the prior close. The broader analyst consensus is also “hold,” with an average target of $97.50.
• Estée Lauder reported quarterly revenue of $3.64 billion and EPS of $0.39, beating analyst estimates of $3.55 billion and $0.32, respectively. Revenue increased 6.3% year over year.
• The turnaround plan is showing progress: management expects fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS of $3.10–$3.35 and is targeting approximately $1.2 billion in gross cost savings by 2028, though elevated valuation remains a risk.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at TD Cowen from $90.00 to $100.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the stock. TD Cowen's price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.96% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $99.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, May 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $97.50.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE EL traded down $0.89 during trading on Thursday, reaching $97.12. 732,712 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,929,974. Estee Lauder Companies has a 12-month low of $66.22 and a 12-month high of $121.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $35.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -138.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.25. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $84.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.67.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.07. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.67% and a positive return on equity of 20.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.09 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Estee Lauder Companies will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,952,869 shares of the company's stock worth $2,927,224,000 after buying an additional 1,043,746 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased 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 acquiring an additional 12,526,471 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,585,782 shares of the company's stock worth $1,213,263,000 after acquiring an additional 467,195 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 185.3% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,140,550 shares of the company's stock worth $861,596,000 after acquiring an additional 5,286,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP lifted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,837,249 shares of the company's stock worth $820,717,000 after acquiring an additional 83,857 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

Estee Lauder Companies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance: Fiscal Q4 revenue rose approximately 6% year over year to $3.64 billion, exceeding the $3.55 billion analyst consensus. Adjusted EPS was $0.39, ahead of estimates of $0.32 and up from $0.09 a year earlier. Growth was supported by Skin Care, Fragrance, China and broad-based regional improvement. Estee Lauder Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Up 6% Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Improved fiscal 2027 outlook: Management affirmed its 3% to 5% organic sales-growth target and raised its adjusted operating-margin outlook to 12.7%–13.5%. Fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.10–$3.35 is broadly consistent with the $3.18 consensus, while the outlook reflects stronger profitability and sustained premium beauty demand. Estee Lauder forecasts annual profit above estimates on strong China demand
• Positive Sentiment: Turnaround plan is gaining traction: Estée Lauder said its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan is performing ahead of expectations. The program targets roughly $1.2 billion in gross cost savings by 2028 through headcount reductions, supply-chain rationalization and other efficiency measures, helping drive operating-margin expansion. Why Estée Lauder Stock Jumped Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor positioning: Call-option activity was unusually high, suggesting increased near-term bullish speculation. However, recent institutional ownership changes were mixed, with some major investors adding shares and others reducing positions.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk remains: Analysts note that the rally has left EL trading at an elevated forward valuation—approximately 25 times projected fiscal 2028 earnings—despite an expected mid-single-digit growth profile. This could limit further upside if the recovery slows or cost savings fail to translate into durable earnings growth. Estee Lauder's Self-Help Actions Are Fully Reflected In Valuation

About Estee Lauder Companies

Estée Lauder Companies Inc NYSE: EL is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company's portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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