The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Short Interest Up 55.6% in November

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,860,000 shares, a growth of 55.6% from the October 31st total of 5,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE EL traded down $1.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,620,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,574,799. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 128.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.20. Estée Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $62.29 and a 1 year high of $159.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.48 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on EL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Estée Lauder Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $113.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America lowered their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul J. Fribourg purchased 75,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.93 per share, with a total value of $4,902,215.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 310,000 shares in the company, valued at $20,128,300. The trade was a 32.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total value of $743,259.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 295,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,045,982.88. This represents a 3.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Estée Lauder Companies

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EL. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 6.3% in the second quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 7,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 30.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 22.3% in the second quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. increased its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 2.1% in the second quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 7,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently 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, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.