Employees Retirement System of Texas Invests $17.35 Million in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,350,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peterson Wealth Services increased its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EL opened at $52.89 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $18.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.31 and its 200 day moving average is $76.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $149.91.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -71.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EL. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava purchased 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at $156,645.99. This trade represents a 41.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

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.