Estee Lauder Companies’ (EL) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $113.00 target price on the stock.

EL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Raymond James Financial raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Rothschild Redb lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.00.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Down 19.2%

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $96.62 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $109.04 and its 200 day moving average is $97.31. Estee Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $48.37 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The company has a market cap of $34.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.45, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.14.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.92%. The business had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Estee Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is presently -54.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total value of $476,971.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EL. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 16,270.3% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,667,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,310,000 after purchasing an additional 2,650,915 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $189,663,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3,181.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,312,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,781,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,062 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 3,986.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,082,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,031,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,112,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937,107 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat — EL reported Q2 EPS of $0.89 vs. $0.84 consensus and revenue of $4.23B (up 5.6% YoY), showing demand momentum as “Beauty Reimagined” rolls out. Business Wire Q2 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Raised sales outlook — management lifted its annual sales forecast, citing improving China performance and turnaround initiatives, which supports medium‑term revenue recovery. Reuters: Raises Sales Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35/share (ex‑dividend Feb 27), which supports income investors. (Dividend notice from company release)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic focus on premium consumers — industry coverage notes EL is pivoting further into higher‑income, luxury tiers and stepped‑up marketing, a positioning that can benefit margins over time. PYMNTS: Pivot to Higher‑Income Consumers
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stances mixed — Telsey reaffirmed “market perform” with a $105 target (modest upside), while some houses (e.g., RBC) kept positive ratings; analyst views are divided on valuation vs. recovery trajectory. TickerReport / Benzinga note & Invezz: Analyst Context
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff headwind — management warned tariffs could reduce full‑year profitability by roughly $100M, a material drag expected mostly in H2 that could compress margins. CNBC: Tariff Impact
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring and charges — restructuring costs materially reduced reported profit this quarter (analysts and press note a sizable hit), clouding near‑term earnings quality despite operational progress. Barron’s: Restructuring Impact
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance vs. hype — FY‑2026 EPS guidance range (2.03–2.23) left investors wanting more; commentary that the recovery is slower than hoped triggered heavy selling and valuation scrutiny. Investopedia: What Dragged Shares Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — coverage highlights this as one of EL’s worst single‑day moves as investors had priced in stronger profit upside; that sentiment swing amplified the drop. MarketWatch: Market Reaction

About Estee Lauder Companies

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.