The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Bought by Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 68.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 388 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $29,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of EL stock opened at $71.71 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.96. The firm has a market cap of $25.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -36.77, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.03. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.29 and a 1-year high of $159.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $156,645.99. The trade was a 41.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EL. Barclays cut their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.00.

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.