Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $105.00 to $90.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential upside of 14.04% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on EL. Citigroup upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. HSBC downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $106.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Estee Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.71.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

NYSE EL opened at $78.92 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $121.64. The company has a market capitalization of $28.55 billion, a PE ratio of -157.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $105.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.47.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 17.59% and a negative net margin of 1.21%.The business had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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. As a group, analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estee Lauder Companies News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic rationale — coverage highlights potential benefits of combining complementary prestige brands, geographic reach and scale that could strengthen EL’s long-term growth profile. Understanding the logic behind Estée Lauder’s move for Puig
• Neutral Sentiment: Company confirmation — EL issued a formal statement saying discussions are ongoing, no agreement has been reached and there are no assurances a deal will occur; that keeps outcomes and timing uncertain. The Estée Lauder Companies’ Statement on Potential Transaction with Puig
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance: Canaccord reiterated a Hold rating, arguing deal uncertainty balances upside from strategic rationale against execution and valuation risks — supporting a cautious view on EL near-term. Balanced Risk and Reward Amid Estée Lauder–Puig Deal Uncertainty Supports Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — several outlets report EL shares plunged (reported drops ~7–8%) as investors question timing of a large merger while management is executing a turnaround; that selling pressure is the primary driver of today’s decline. Estée Lauder (EL) Stock Tumbles 8% Amid Puig Brands Merger Discussions
• Negative Sentiment: Puig rally sharp — Puig shares jumped (~15%) on takeover/merger talk, reflecting market confidence in strategic upside for Puig brands (Charlotte Tilbury, Carolina Herrera). The asymmetric reaction (Puig up, EL down) reflects investor skepticism about price/terms and near-term shareholder dilution or integration risk for EL. Puig stock soars 15% after Estée Lauder confirms takeover talks with Charlotte Tilbury maker
• Negative Sentiment: Deal scale and scrutiny — FT and other reports frame the tie-up as creating a ~$40B beauty group, which raises regulatory, financing and integration questions that increase execution risk and short-term investor caution. Estée Lauder nears deal to combine with Jean Paul Gaultier owner Puig

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.