Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $19.65 Million Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,071 shares of the company’s stock after selling 945 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.07% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $19,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $81.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, B. Riley lowered their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $156,645.99. This trade represents a 41.64 % 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $75.09 on Tuesday. 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 Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.29 and a 52 week high of $159.54. The firm has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of -38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $74.74 and its 200-day moving average is $80.77.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently -71.79%.

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.