Bryce Point Capital LLC Invests $1.12 Million in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,124,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EL. Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after buying an additional 45,687 shares during the period. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 3,524 shares during the last quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $352,000. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 91,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Up 1.2 %

EL stock opened at $68.68 on Thursday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.29 and a 1-year high of $152.04. The stock has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is $71.34 and its 200 day moving average is $76.78.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EL has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Estée Lauder Companies 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.