Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $82.77, but opened at $76.50. Estée Lauder Companies shares last traded at $69.72, with a volume of 2,404,172 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley cut their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.05.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.39. The company has a market cap of $23.74 billion, a PE ratio of 117.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 250.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 77,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $64.01 per share, for a total transaction of $4,960,775.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 234,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,010,345. This trade represents a 49.36 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the third quarter valued at $31,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.