Short Interest in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Increases By 9.2%

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 6,160,000 shares, a growth of 9.2% from the June 15th total of 5,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,830,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL opened at $100.68 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $36.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $117.47 and its 200-day moving average is $133.47. Estée Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $99.80 and a fifty-two week high of $191.33.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Estée Lauder Companies will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 148.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $145.00 to $129.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com raised Estée Lauder Companies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $191.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $141.00 to $108.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $142.00 to $115.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $150.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 47,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,412,971.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 57,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,958,990.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Tracey Thomas Travis sold 14,493 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,248 shares in the company, valued at $6,412,971.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,255 shares of company stock valued at $5,453,232 over the last three months. Company insiders own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.