Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Hits New 12-Month Low After Insider Selling

Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $63.14 and last traded at $63.15, with a volume of 3258928 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.86.

Specifically, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total transaction of $743,259.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 295,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,045,982.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. B. Riley lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Bank of America cut their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Estée Lauder Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $105.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.90.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 3.9 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.59. The company has a market capitalization of $22.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 113.00, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently 250.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 163.0% in the 1st quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 3,262.5% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, PARK CIRCLE Co purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% 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.