Royal Bank of Canada Upgrades Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) to Outperform

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $131.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 31.13% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $191.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $170.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $145.00 to $129.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $160.00 to $159.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered Estée Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $149.63.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $99.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Estée Lauder Companies has a 12 month low of $95.87 and a 12 month high of $183.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.82 billion, a PE ratio of 56.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $113.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.79.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. Estée Lauder Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Estée Lauder Companies will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total transaction of $1,815,989.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total value of $1,967,134.89. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 47,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,412,971.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,255 shares of company stock valued at $5,453,232. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 885 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 34.1% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,440,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 2.3% during the first quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 3,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 25.6% in the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

About Estée Lauder Companies

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.