S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Raises Stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 14.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 64,993 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,028 shares during the quarter. Estée Lauder Companies comprises about 3.7% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $10,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 8.2% during the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 104,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,090,000 after acquiring an additional 7,874 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 38.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,764,000 after buying an additional 8,601 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.4% during the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 1,616 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth about $339,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth about $26,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total transaction of $1,815,989.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total value of $1,967,134.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,412,971.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,255 shares of company stock worth $5,453,232 in the last quarter. Insiders own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of EL traded down $4.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $106.40. 7,457,725 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,544,977. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.22 and a fifty-two week high of $198.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of $126.73 and a 200-day moving average of $137.22.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $160.00 to $159.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.75.

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.