EL
Estée Lauder Companies (The)
$87.49
▲ 2.3%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
EL at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Weak · 13/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 13.5% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$30.29B
P/E
—
Forward P/E (est.)
—
ROE
-6.3%
Revenue Growth
0.3%
EPS Growth
—
Profit Margin
-1.7%
FCF Yield
4.2%
Debt / Equity
1.89x
ROIC
-12.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
1.27x
Dividend Yield
1.6%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
6.6%
Rating Score
13/100
Estée Lauder Companies (The) (EL) is a large-cap company in the Personal Care Products industry, part of the Consumer Staples sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $30.29B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $14.33B in revenue.
Our model rates EL Weak (13/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (9 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
72.3% average over the last 3 years
±2.7 pts around 75.6% across 9 years
grew in 4 of the last 8 year-over-year periods
positive in 9 of 9 years
-12.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what EL's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. EL trades near $87.49, around its 50-day average ($82.88) and 200-day average ($92.89). Price tangled in its moving averages means there is no clear trend — the stock is ranging.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 40 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently negative — short-term momentum is fading.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. EL's is $3.15 (~3.6% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month EL found buyers near $76.83 (support) and sellers near $91.54 (resistance); its 52-week range is $66.22–$121.64. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.9× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
-3.0%
Revenue moved from $11.82B in 2017 to $14.33B in 2025, a 2.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (0.3%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
74.0%
Operating Margin
-5.5%
Net Margin
-1.7%
ROE
-6.3%
Estée Lauder Companies (The) keeps about -1.7% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 74.0% gross margin and -5.5% operating margin. Return on equity is -6.3% and return on invested capital about -12.0%. The company is currently unprofitable on a net basis.
Total Debt
$1.07B
Net Debt
-$1.12B
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
—
Debt / Equity
1.89x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.9x, with a current ratio of 1.3x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $1.07B of total debt against $2.18B of cash.
Operating CF
$1.27B
Free Cash Flow
$670.00M
FCF Margin
4.7%
In the latest year Estée Lauder Companies (The) produced about $1.27B of operating cash flow and $670.00M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 4.2% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
Coverage is weak, the payout was cut recently, or it's being financed rather than earned — treat the current yield as fragile.
Dividend yield
1.6%
Per share (latest FY)
$1.71
Total paid (latest FY)
$618.00M
History on record
9 years
dividend uses 92% of free cash flow
no current raise streak
payout was cut at least once in the last 9 years
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
—
P/S
2.24x
P/B
7.51x
EV / EBITDA
—
EL trades at n/a trailing earnings, 2.2x sales, and 7.5x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 6.6% long-term free-cash-flow growth. With no positive trailing earnings, value it on sales, cash flow, or growth rather than P/E.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
—
Current price
$87.49
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$670.00M
Growth, years 1–5
0.3%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where EL sits versus its Consumer Staples sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 48 Consumer Staples companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How EL stacks up against its Consumer Staples peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Consumer Staples sector (74 S&P 500 companies), EL ranks #48 of 74 by our overall rating.
P/E vs sector
—
median 22x
ROE vs sector
-6.3%
median 18.1%
Growth vs sector
0.3%
median 3.4%
Sector rank
#48
of 74 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Consumer Staples companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 74 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $87.49 today · expected CAGR -28% – -20%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $14.76B | $15.20B | $15.65B | $16.12B | $16.61B |
| Net income | $442.67M | $455.95M | $469.63M | $483.72M | $498.23M |
| EPS | $1.28 | $1.32 | $1.36 | $1.40 | $1.44 |
| Share price (low) | $15.35 | $15.81 | $16.28 | $16.77 | $17.27 |
| Share price (high) | $25.58 | $26.34 | $27.13 | $27.95 | $28.79 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -82% / -71% | -57% / -45% | -43% / -32% | -34% / -25% | -28% / -20% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for EL:
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~4.2%) funds buybacks and dividends.
- As an established S&P 500 member in Consumer Staples, it brings scale and a long operating history.
The case against EL:
- Revenue growth is slow (0.3%), limiting the upside engine.
- Thin net margins (-1.7%) leave little room for error.
- Elevated leverage (debt/equity 1.9x) adds financial risk.
- Our model's overall read is Weak (13/100).
Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.9x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.
Growth risk — sluggish revenue (0.3%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.
Margin risk — thin profitability (-1.7%) is vulnerable to cost or pricing pressure.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Estée Lauder Companies (The) is a large-cap consumer staples business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at n/a earnings, which our model scores Weak (13/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 36 Wall Street analysts covering EL recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+3 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
EL's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
EL — frequently asked questions
Is EL a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Estée Lauder Companies (The) Weak (13/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is EL's rating on The Stocks School?
Estée Lauder Companies (The) currently scores 13/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does EL's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Estée Lauder Companies (The)'s SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for EL calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this EL analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell EL. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.