Long Road Investment Counsel LLC Has $2.54 Million Stock Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Long Road Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,884 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Estée Lauder Companies makes up about 1.0% of Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $2,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EL. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 97.8% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 160,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,985,000 after buying an additional 79,278 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 9,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $932,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 38,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,299 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 3.7 %

EL stock opened at $68.97 on Tuesday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.29 and a twelve month high of $155.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $73.45 and its 200-day moving average is $78.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.76 billion, a PE ratio of -35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently -71.79%.

Insider Activity

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,583,580. The trade was a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EL. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, December 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.