Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Makes New Investment in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AJOVista LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $198,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $550,000. Malaga Cove Capital LLC purchased a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth $410,000. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 40.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $169.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.92.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

NYSE EL opened at $129.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $145.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.03. 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 1-year low of $102.22 and a 1-year high of $209.64. The company has a market cap of $46.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Estée Lauder Companies’s payout ratio is currently 148.32%.

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.