Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $120.83 and last traded at $119.8740, with a volume of 174490 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.76.

Key Stories Impacting Estee Lauder Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat — EL beat EPS and revenue estimates and reported year‑over‑year revenue growth, showing traction from its “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround, which supports medium‑term recovery expectations. The Estée Lauder Companies Reports Fiscal 2026 Second Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised sales outlook — management raised its annual sales forecast and issued FY26 EPS guidance (2.03–2.23), signaling confidence in China demand and the turnaround plan. That supports revenue momentum expectations even if EPS guidance is conservative. Estee Lauder raises annual sales forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Restructuring progress — the company says cost‑savings and improved free cash flow are coming from its restructuring, which is positive long term but is driving near‑term profit volatility as actions complete. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff headwind — management warned of roughly $100M in tariff‑related profit pressure for the year and is considering price actions to offset costs; that is an explicit drag on margins and near‑term earnings. Estée Lauder expects $100 million in tariff headwinds to its full-year profitability
• Negative Sentiment: Charges hit profit — writers and analysts note that restructuring and related charges materially reduced reported profit this quarter, which, combined with tariff risk and a cautious outlook, prompted strong negative market reaction. Estee Lauder Stock Sinks. Restructuring and Tariffs Take Bite Out of Earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation criticism — some analysts argue EL’s valuation premium is unjustified given sub‑4% organic growth, flat U.S. sales and ongoing execution risks, which adds downward pressure on sentiment. Estee Lauder: Valuation Premium Is Unjustified

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial raised Estee Lauder Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Estee Lauder Companies from $95.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Argus upgraded Estee Lauder Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Estee Lauder Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.00.

Estee Lauder Companies Trading Down 21.4%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.31. The company has a market capitalization of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -36.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts forecast that The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Estee Lauder Companies news, VP Meridith Webster sold 5,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 value of $364,748.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 34,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,196,785.96. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 13.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Estee Lauder Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $229,000. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 7,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Estee Lauder Companies by 205.3% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 19,418 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Estee Lauder Companies by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 35,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Estee Lauder Companies by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.15% of the company’s stock.

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.