Congress Asset Management Co. MA Sells 71,457 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Congress Asset Management Co. MA decreased its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 93.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,794 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71,457 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,626,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,692,479,000 after buying an additional 140,488 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 35.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,311,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $767,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387,271 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 6.0% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,483,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $648,085,000 after purchasing an additional 254,198 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,151,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,169,000 after purchasing an additional 496,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.5% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,720,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,850,000 after purchasing an additional 1,512,982 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $114.88 on Tuesday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a one year low of $102.22 and a one year high of $201.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.54, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.04.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.49. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 148.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on EL. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $160.00 to $159.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Bernstein Bank upped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $155.00 to $160.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.75.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In other news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,958,990.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Peter Jueptner sold 12,786 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.62, for a total transaction of $1,670,107.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,598.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,255 shares of company stock worth $5,453,232. Insiders own 12.77% 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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.