The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Shares Sold by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 37.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,494 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,125 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $2,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after buying an additional 45,687 shares during the period. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $771,000 after acquiring an additional 3,524 shares during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 729.4% during the 3rd quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 47,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,735,000 after acquiring an additional 41,773 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 79.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,723,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $570,600,000 after acquiring an additional 2,533,006 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. B. Riley reduced their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Friday, December 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $92.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 75,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $64.93 per share, for a total transaction of $4,902,215.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 310,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,128,300. This trade represents a 32.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $85.44 on Friday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.29 and a 52 week high of $159.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $30.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 152.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.45 and a 200-day moving average of $84.18.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Estée Lauder Companies

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.