Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) had its target price decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $111.00 to $105.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 1.51% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $124.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.73.

Estee Lauder Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EL traded up $6.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $103.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,160,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,120,921. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $109.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.31. Estee Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $48.37 and a fifty-two week high of $121.64.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. Estee Lauder Companies had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the firm’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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 556.8% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,554,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,473 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Estee Lauder Companies in the second quarter worth $337,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies during the second quarter worth about $331,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 539.7% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,245,000 after purchasing an additional 193,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 50.1% during the second quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 151,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,247,000 after purchasing an additional 50,625 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Estee Lauder Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and upgraded outlook: EL reported $0.89 EPS vs. $0.84 est. and revenue roughly in line at $4.23B, and it raised FY2026 revenue/earnings guidance — evidence the “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround is gaining traction. Company Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/support: Citigroup upgraded EL to Buy with a $120 PT, and Bank of America/BofA commentary highlights margin upside and re‑rating potential — these notes help fuel buying interest. Citigroup Upgrade (Benzinga) BofA / TipRanks
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional/analyst reaffirmations: RBC and other houses reiterated Outperform/Buy views, reinforcing the recovery narrative and encouraging longer-term buyers. RBC Reiteration
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: EL declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share (record Feb. 27), which supports yield-focused investors but is modest versus total return expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic pivot to premium consumers: Management is pushing luxury tiers and marketing to higher-income shoppers — a structural positive over time but not an immediate EPS lever. PYMNTS/Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff headwind: EL warned new/higher tariffs will shave roughly $100M off full‑year profitability (mainly H2), pressuring margins and prompting investor concern about pricing and cost pass‑through. Forbes
• Negative Sentiment: Investor disappointment on outlook: Despite raising guidance, management’s mid‑range outlook and tariff disclosure fell short of lofty expectations, triggering a sharp prior selloff (double‑digit intraday declines) and lingering volatility. Investopedia
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring costs: Management’s transformation program is driving cost savings long-term but recently cut into quarterly profit (reports say restructuring reduced a large portion of near‑term profit), adding short‑term earnings pressure. Barron’s

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.