Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Buys 6,394 Shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 38.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,879 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,394 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $1,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd raised its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 21,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after buying an additional 5,623 shares in the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management raised its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 119.6% in the fourth quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 135,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,148,000 after purchasing an additional 73,700 shares in the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 86.6% during the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 3,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. grew its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 14,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,887 shares during the period. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 77,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.01 per share, for a total transaction of $4,960,775.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 234,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,010,345. This trade represents a 49.36 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $65.79 per share, for a total transaction of $46,053.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 196,700 shares of company stock worth $12,762,093 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of EL stock opened at $68.74 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.37. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.29 and a 52-week high of $159.54. The stock has a market cap of $24.68 billion, a PE ratio of -35.25, a PEG ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 1.03.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly 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 positive return on equity of 16.82% and a negative net margin of 4.61%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on EL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America reduced 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 research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.