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Is Estee Lauder Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q2 Earnings Release?

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Key Takeaways

  • EL is expected to report Q2 EPS of 83 cents, up 33.9% year over year, on revenues of $4.22B, up 5.3%.
  • Estee Lauder is seeing improving demand trends, helped by fragrance strength and better retail sell-through.
  • EL's Profit Recovery and Growth Plan is supporting margin expansion and earnings growth this quarter.

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL - Free Report) is slated to report its second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on Feb. 5, 2026.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal second-quarter revenues stands at $4.22 billion, indicating 5.3% growth from the same period last year. Meanwhile, the consensus mark for earnings has moved up 3 cents in the past 30 days to 83 cents per share, indicating 33.9% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Estee Lauder delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 82.6%. In the last reported quarter, the company’s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 100%.

What the Zacks Model Predicts About EL’s Q2 Earnings

As investors prepare for Estee Lauder’s fiscal second-quarter announcement, the question looms regarding earnings beat or miss. Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for EL this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is exactly the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Estee Lauder has an Earnings ESP of +6.62% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

What’s Shaping Estee Lauder’s Q2 Earnings?

Estee Lauder has been witnessing gradually improving demand trends, supported by sequential stabilization across key markets. While pressures in Mainland China and Asia travel retail have been persisting, retail sales excluding travel retail have been strengthening. Improved execution, easing year-over-year comparisons and rising consumer engagement in the United States and select emerging markets are likely to have supported top-line performance in the quarter under review.

EL has been benefiting from sustained momentum in fragrance, which has continued to act as a key growth driver. Expanding distribution, successful innovation launches and deeper penetration across digital and specialty channels have been enhancing retail sell-through. Reduced inventory pressures at retail partners, following earlier destocking efforts, are likely to have provided a supportive backdrop for overall performance in the to-be-reported quarter.

From a profitability standpoint, Estee Lauder has been benefiting from its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan. Targeted reductions in non-consumer-facing costs and improved operational efficiency have helped offset ongoing investments behind brands and marketing. Combined with improved volume leverage, these actions are likely to have supported operating margin expansion translated into earnings growth in the quarter under review.

EL’s Price Performance

Over the past three months, Estee Lauder stock has delivered a strong gain of 18.1%, significantly outperforming the Cosmetics industry’s 6.2% growth and the broader Zacks Consumer Staples sector’s 6.4% advance, while also beating the S&P 500’s 3.2% rise over the same period. Estee Lauder also outpaced several peers in the same time frame, 12.6% decline of Helen of Troy Limited (HELE - Free Report) , 20.8% drop of Coty Inc. (COTY - Free Report) and a sharp 30.9% decrease of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (ELF - Free Report) .

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Estee Lauder Stock’s Valuation

From a valuation perspective, Estee Lauder looks stretched. Estee Lauder trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 43.99X, up from the industry average of 29.59X. While the P/E ratio is elevated, this reflects investors’ expectations for improved operating performance and earnings growth. By comparison, peers such as Coty, Helen of Troy and e.l.f. Beauty trade at lower multiples of 6.82X, 4.87X and 24.71X, respectively.

Zacks Investment Research
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Estee Lauder’s Stock Analysis: Best Moves for Investors Now

Estee Lauder continues to demonstrate improving operating discipline through its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan, which has been supporting margin expansion and earnings improvement amid a still-challenging global beauty backdrop. The company’s strength in fragrance and expanding presence across digital and specialty channels remain important drivers of performance stability. While trading at a premium to peers, Estee Lauder offers an appealing blend of brand leadership and earnings recovery potential. For investors seeking exposure to the prestige beauty space, EL stands out as a compelling, growth-oriented opportunity.

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