Level Four Advisory Services LLC Has $1.09 Million Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 31.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 14,541 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,578 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL opened at $65.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.08. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.29 and a 1 year high of $155.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $72.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently -71.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 43,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Corporate insiders own 12.78% 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.