Plato Investment Management Ltd Acquires 6,666 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 1,424.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,666 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 103.1% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. PARK CIRCLE Co acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the first quarter worth $35,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on EL shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Estée Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.27.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $84.56 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.00. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.39 and a twelve month high of $159.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.90.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 19th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.39. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 16.91%. The company had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.07 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total value of $364,142.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,714.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Charlene Barshefsky sold 3,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total value of $315,963.41. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,578,114. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lynn Forester sold 3,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.61, for a total transaction of $364,142.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,423,714.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.