ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd raised its position in The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL - Free Report) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,462 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,450 shares during the period. Estée Lauder Companies comprises 1.0% of ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd's holdings in Estée Lauder Companies were worth $9,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 675,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,637,000 after buying an additional 52,840 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 2,168 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 25,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,875,000 after buying an additional 7,268 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Estée Lauder Companies by 1,610.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Estée Lauder Companies by 1,242.4% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 3,106 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company's stock.

A number of research firms have recently commented on EL. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $100.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup cut shares of Estée Lauder Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Estée Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on EL

In related news, CFO Akhil Shrivastava acquired 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $65.79 per share, for a total transaction of $46,053.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 2,381 shares in the company, valued at $156,645.99. The trade was a 41.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Paul J. Fribourg bought 43,000 shares of Estée Lauder Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $66.35 per share, for a total transaction of $2,853,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 430,800 shares in the company, valued at $28,583,580. This represents a 11.09 % 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.

Estée Lauder Companies stock opened at $72.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.33. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.29 and a 1-year high of $159.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Estée Lauder Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently -71.79%.

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.

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