Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Rating Increased to Buy at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $120.00 price objective on the stock.

EL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $105.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $83.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.27.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Up 3.0%

EL opened at $99.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.89 billion, a PE ratio of -199.18, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.14. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1-year low of $48.37 and a 1-year high of $121.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $109.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.40.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.21% and a positive return on equity of 17.59%. The company had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Estee Lauder Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -54.26%.

Insider Activity at Estee Lauder Companies

In related news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of Estee Lauder Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total transaction of $476,971.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 13.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,749 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 123.1% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 18,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,512,000 after purchasing an additional 10,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Estee Lauder Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Estee Lauder Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat expectations (EPS $0.89 vs. $0.84) and management raised full‑year sales/earnings guidance, supported by stronger China sales and progress on the “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround — a core reason buyers are returning. Business Wire: Fiscal Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokers showed support: Citigroup upgraded EL to “buy” with a $120 PT and Bank of America reiterated a Buy with re‑rating potential, signaling conviction among some institutional analysts that fundamentals and margin upside remain attractive. Benzinga: Citigroup Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend (record Feb 27; pay Mar 16), which supports income investors and can help stabilize shares amid the volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets but left constructive ratings: JPMorgan cut its PT to $121 while staying “overweight” and Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $105 with an “equal weight” call — suggesting cautious optimism but reduced upside assumptions. Benzinga: PT Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed “market perform” with a $105 target, reflecting mixed analyst views on short‑term growth versus longer‑term restructuring benefits. Benzinga: Telsey Reaffirmation
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned tariffs will shave roughly $100M off full‑year profitability (mostly in H2), pressuring margins and prompting talk of potential pricing actions — a clear near‑term headwind. CNBC: Tariff Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, the company’s cautious guidance and restructuring costs led to a heavy sell‑off (shares fell sharply earlier on the outlook and restructuring impact), showing how sensitive EL is to near‑term profit expectations. Investopedia: What Dragged Shares Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary questioning EL’s valuation and the pace of the turnaround have amplified volatility — several headlines ask whether to trim positions after the drop, keeping sentiment fragile in the near term. Forbes: Should You Cut Your Position?

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

Estée Lauder Companies Inc (NYSE: EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, the company has grown from a small family business into a multinational consumer-products enterprise headquartered in New York City. Its activities span product research and development, brand and product marketing, manufacturing and global distribution across multiple retail channels.

The company’s portfolio includes a mix of legacy and prestige brands that target different consumer segments and price points, with well-known names such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer and Jo Malone among others.