Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Cuts Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. decreased its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,285 shares of the company’s stock after selling 455 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $8,585,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 47.5% during the third 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 last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 3,524 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its stake 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 valued at $4,735,000 after acquiring an additional 41,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $352,000. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL stock opened at $65.42 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $72.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.20. The stock has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a PE ratio of -33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.08. 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 12 month low of $62.29 and a 12 month high of $155.73.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. Estée Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $66.35 per share, with a total value 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. The trade was a 11.09 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $65.79 per share, with a total value of $46,053.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on EL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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.