Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Citigroup from $110.00 to $115.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s target price suggests a potential upside of 18.13% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on EL. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $85.00) on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays increased their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Estee Lauder Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.05.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $97.35. 3,075,183 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,946,599. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $84.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.67. The stock has a market cap of $35.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -139.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.27. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $66.22 and a 1 year high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.07. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.67% and a positive return on equity of 20.66%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.100-3.350 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,952,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,927,224,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043,746 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 950.9% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,843,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $993,567,000 after acquiring an additional 12,526,471 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,585,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,213,263,000 after buying an additional 467,195 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 185.3% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,140,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $861,596,000 after purchasing an additional 5,286,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 7,837,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,717,000 after acquiring an additional 83,857 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: Fiscal Q4 revenue rose 6% year over year to approximately $3.64 billion, ahead of the $3.55 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $0.39 exceeded expectations of $0.32 and increased substantially from $0.09 a year earlier. Growth was supported by Skin Care, Fragrance, China and broader geographic momentum. Estee Lauder Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Up 6% Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Management affirmed fiscal 2027 organic sales growth of 3% to 5% and raised its adjusted operating-margin outlook to 12.7%–13.5%, signaling that the turnaround, cost controls and margin-recovery plan are gaining traction. The plan is expected to generate up to $1.2 billion in gross benefits by 2028, alongside supply-chain changes and significant workforce reductions. EL Q4 Earnings Call Signals Higher Margins and Broader Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets following the report: Piper Sandler increased its target to $115 and maintained an overweight rating, while UBS, Wells Fargo, TD Cowen and B. Riley also lifted targets. The revisions reinforce improving sentiment around Estée Lauder’s recovery. Estée Lauder Analysts Boost Their Forecasts After Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Estée Lauder declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, implying an annualized yield of roughly 1.4%. The dividend supports shareholder returns but is unlikely to materially change the earnings-driven investment outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: After the rally, some investors view the valuation as demanding—approximately 25 times projected fiscal 2028 earnings for a company targeting mid-single-digit growth. UBS, Wells Fargo, TD Cowen and B. Riley retained neutral, equal-weight or hold ratings, limiting the potential for further upside.

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.