Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $413.15 Million Holdings in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,510,184 shares of the company’s stock after selling 213,562 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $413,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,796,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,515,000 after purchasing an additional 117,163 shares in the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $464,000. Rodgers Brothers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 55,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,192,000 after buying an additional 10,879 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,140,000. Finally, Allstate Corp acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $513,000. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE EL opened at $68.68 on Thursday. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a one year low of $62.29 and a one year high of $152.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -35.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $71.34 and its 200-day moving average is $76.78.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 4.61% and a positive return on equity of 16.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -71.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, December 27th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Twenty investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estée Lauder Companies

In other Estée Lauder Companies news, Director Paul J. Fribourg acquired 43,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $66.35 per share, with a total value of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at $28,583,580. This trade represents a 11.09 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Akhil Shrivastava bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $156,645.99. This represents a 41.64 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Company 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.