Estée Lauder Companies Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EL)

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 23,987 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 72% compared to the average daily volume of 13,915 call options.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock traded down $1.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,617,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,127,205. The company has a market cap of $24.07 billion, a PE ratio of -34.32, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.87. Estée Lauder Companies has a 12-month low of $48.37 and a 12-month high of $125.90.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion for 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Estée Lauder Companies's payout ratio is presently -57.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down from $70.00) on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $77.00 to $67.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $75.15.

Institutional Trading of Estée Lauder Companies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 1,182.1% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

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.