DnB Asset Management AS Purchases 33,494 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

DnB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,929 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,494 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS owned about 0.06% of Estée Lauder Companies worth $44,957,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 56.1% during the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 3,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 44,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,885,000 after purchasing an additional 6,098 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 3,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $859,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Estée Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $206.00 to $199.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $207.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $208.00 to $162.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $224.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.31.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $154.27. 336,037 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,068,423. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. 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 market cap of $55.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $170.85 and its 200 day moving average is $202.73.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 18th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Estée Lauder Companies’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.96%.

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.