Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Price Target to $105.00

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its target price trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $111.00 to $105.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on EL. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Evercore boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Argus raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $116.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.27.

Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

Shares of EL opened at $99.59 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $109.17 and a 200-day moving average of $97.51. The company has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -199.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.36. Estee Lauder Companies has a 1 year low of $48.37 and a 1 year high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 1.21% and a positive return on equity of 17.59%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. 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 year.

Estee Lauder Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. 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 is -280.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estee Lauder Companies

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total transaction of $476,971.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $364,748.76. Following the sale, the director directly owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EL. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 258.7% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Estee Lauder Companies during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 80.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Estee Lauder Companies

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?

About Estee Lauder Companies

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.