Cosmetics giant Estee Lauder Inc. EL has announced the pricing of an offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of 4.375% notes due 2045. This offering is expected to close on Jun 4, 2015, subject to customary closing conditions.
The company plans to use the net proceeds from the notes offering for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of its outstanding debts. The company also intends to fund its acquisitions, capital expenditures and repurchases of its Class A Common Stock.
As of fiscal 2014, Estee Lauder had two sets of outstanding notes one of $250.0 million of 2.35% senior notes due Aug 15, 2022 and another of $250.0 million of 3.70% senior notes due Aug 15, 2042
The joint book-running managers for the notes offering are Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.
The issuance of senior notes is expected to increase the financial flexibility of the company and provide ample working capital to continue its aggressive marketing strategy and carry on the acquisitions.
Estee Lauder emphasizes heavily on marketing. The company is investing a lot in advertising, especially in TV and digital media. It also reaches out to its customers through social networking sites like Facebook Inc., where its brands cover more than 100 pages.
The company also Estee Lauder made several strategic acquisitions to enhance its portfolio. The company announced a series of buyouts in the span of two months from October to December last year.
Estee Lauder has been reporting decent earnings over the past few quarters backed by strong sales. The growing prestige beauty sector has also added to the business momentum of the Estee Lauder.
A rich portfolio of globally recognized flagship brands, provides a competitive advantage and bolsters the company’s well-established market position.
While the cosmetics company should gain from expanded operational capability and a healthy demand environment, it is exposed to headwinds associated with weakening growth in markets outside the U.S. and currency headwinds. Estee Lauder currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the cosmetics sector are Helen of Troy HELE, Inter Parfums Inc. IPAR and Coty Inc. COTY. While Helen of Troy sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Inter Parfums and Coty carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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