JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $74.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 1.46% from the stock’s current price.

EL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. CICC Research began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, December 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $93.55.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL opened at $77.86 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 139.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.83. Estée Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $62.29 and a 52 week high of $159.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.05. Estée Lauder Companies had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 1.31%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Fabrizio Freda sold 10,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.76, for a total transaction of $743,259.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 295,838 shares in the company, valued at $20,045,982.88. This represents a 3.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 77,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.01 per share, with a total value of $4,960,775.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estée Lauder Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ecofi Investissements SA acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $53,000. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.