Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Stock Price

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

Several other research firms have also weighed in on EL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $116.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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 report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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 trading on Friday, reaching $103.44. The company had a trading volume of 4,160,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,120,921. Estee Lauder Companies has a 52 week low of $48.37 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $109.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.31. The stock has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a PE ratio of -40.00, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. Estee Lauder Companies had a positive return on equity of 14.92% and a negative net margin of 6.44%.The business had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Estee Lauder Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.230 EPS. Analysts expect that Estee Lauder Companies will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Estee Lauder Companies

In other news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.84, for a total value of $476,971.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry S. Sternlicht sold 3,972 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 34,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,196,785.96. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 13.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 16,270.3% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,667,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,310,000 after acquiring an additional 2,650,915 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies in the second quarter valued at $189,663,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3,181.4% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,312,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,062 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3,986.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,082,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,485,000 after buying an additional 2,031,262 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,112,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,634,000 after buying an additional 1,937,107 shares during the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Estee Lauder Companies News Roundup

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

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.