Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price Down 5.9% on Analyst Downgrade

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) shares were down 5.9% during trading on Wednesday after Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on the stock from $76.00 to $70.00. Canaccord Genuity Group currently has a hold rating on the stock. Estée Lauder Companies traded as low as $66.13 and last traded at $65.38. Approximately 3,306,247 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 3,867,091 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.47.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. B. Riley decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $63.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $92.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 75,500 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.93 per share, for a total transaction of $4,902,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 310,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,128,300. This trade represents a 32.20 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 12.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,390,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 249.7% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $709,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 90,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 34,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 5.7 %

The company has a market cap of $23.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.04, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $77.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.52.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. Estée Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.