Sentry Investment Management LLC Purchases 5,540 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 548.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,551 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,540 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 141,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after acquiring an additional 45,687 shares in the last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% in 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,723,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $570,600,000 after acquiring an additional 2,533,006 shares during the period. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co raised its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 729.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $75.09 on Tuesday. 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 twelve month low of $62.29 and a twelve month high of $159.54. The company’s 50 day moving average is $74.74 and its 200 day moving average is $80.77. The company has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of -38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.03.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EL. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, December 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.00.

Estée Lauder Companies 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.