Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $16.35 Million Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. reduced its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 218,084 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,600 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.06% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $16,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Symmetry Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $811,000. MGO One Seven LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $303,000. Nekton Capital Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 97.7% during the 4th quarter. Nekton Capital Ltd. now owns 60,640 shares of the company's stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 29,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soros Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $4,960,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 2.0 %

Estée Lauder Companies stock traded down $1.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $58.77. The stock had a trading volume of 5,793,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,239,714. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.10 billion, a PE ratio of -30.14, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $139.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.28.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.51 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. Estée Lauder Companies's revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is -71.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,583,580. The trade was a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company's stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Company Profile

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.