The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd decreased its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 47.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,632 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,614 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $5,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Heritage Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 1,275.0% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 110 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Elequin Securities LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EL has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $220.00 to $195.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 21st. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $214.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Estée Lauder Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 24th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $195.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.04.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 12,661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total value of $1,933,967.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,523,450. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Estée Lauder Companies news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 12,661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total value of $1,933,967.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,523,450. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 1,796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.93, for a total value of $272,866.28. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,421,020.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.75% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

EL traded down $3.04 on Thursday, hitting $160.53. 2,233,516 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,095,561. The business’s fifty day moving average is $177.68 and its 200 day moving average is $208.98. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.18 and a fifty-two week high of $283.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.02.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 18th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.11. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 6.32% and a return on equity of 21.79%. The firm had revenue of $3.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.48 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.96%.

About Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, 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.