EL

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. stock research

Dec 31, 2023

FY2024 Q2

The Estée Lauder Companies (EL) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Dec 31, 2023

Revenue and gross profit both increased from the preceding quarter, while cost of revenue rose only slightly, resulting in an improved gross margin. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue and gross profit were lower, cost of revenue was stable, and the gross margin weakened marginally.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Dec 31, 2023 · FY2024 Q2

Revenue and gross profit both increased from the preceding quarter, while cost of revenue rose only slightly, resulting in an improved gross margin. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue and gross profit were lower, cost of revenue was stable, and the gross margin weakened marginally.

  • The strongest observable margin driver is the change in the relationship between revenue and cost of revenue: revenue grew more than cost of revenue from the prior quarter, boosting the gross margin. Sequentially, cost of revenue increased at a slower pace than revenue, while year-over-year cost of revenue remained unchanged despite lower revenue, compressing the margin.
  • Sequentially, revenue, gross profit, and cost of revenue were all higher, with the gross margin improving. Year-over-year, revenue and gross profit were lower, cost of revenue was flat, and the gross margin weakened slightly.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

73.0%

Gross profit

$3.1B

Revenue

$4.3B

Cost of revenue

$1.2B

Quarter-over-quarter change

+3.4 pts

Year-over-year change

-0.6 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Mar 31, 2023$3.8B$2.6B$1.2B69.1%
Jun 30, 2023$3.6B$2.4B$1.2B67.8%
Sep 30, 2023$3.5B$2.4B$1.1B69.6%
Dec 31, 2023$4.3B$3.1B$1.2B73.0%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Sep 30, 2023

+3.4 pts

Year-over-year change

Dec 31, 2022

-0.6 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver is the change in the relationship between revenue and cost of revenue: revenue grew more than cost of revenue from the prior quarter, boosting the gross margin. Sequentially, cost of revenue increased at a slower pace than revenue, while year-over-year cost of revenue remained unchanged despite lower revenue, compressing the margin.

Sequentially, revenue, gross profit, and cost of revenue were all higher, with the gross margin improving. Year-over-year, revenue and gross profit were lower, cost of revenue was flat, and the gross margin weakened slightly.

Monitor the trajectory of gross margin relative to the prior-year level, as the current quarter's margin, while improved sequentially, remains slightly below the same quarter last year.