GDS Wealth Management Cuts Stock Position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)

GDS Wealth Management trimmed its position in shares of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,418 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,168 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $7,812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in Estée Lauder Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Estée Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EL traded up $2.13 during trading on Thursday, reaching $131.66. The stock had a trading volume of 1,516,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,799,584. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $144.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.97. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.22 and a 1-year high of $204.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $47.20 billion, a PE ratio of 73.97, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.07.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estée Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Estée Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 148.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on EL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Estée Lauder Companies from $160.00 to $159.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Raymond James lifted their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Estée Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.92.

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, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.