The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,590,000 shares, a growth of 7.1% from the December 31st total of 8,020,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,570,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley cut their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Estée Lauder Companies in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Estée Lauder Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $92.95.

Estée Lauder Companies Stock Down 16.4 %

Shares of NYSE EL traded down $13.59 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $69.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,306,643 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,449,048. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 123.68, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.03. Estée Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $62.29 and a fifty-two week high of $159.75.

Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.31. Estée Lauder Companies had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 17.31%. Equities research analysts predict that Estée Lauder Companies will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Estée Lauder Companies

In related news, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 77,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at approximately $15,010,345. The trade was a 49.36 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 12.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EL. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Estée Lauder Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Estée Lauder Companies by 68.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 297.0% during the fourth 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 period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Estée Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.