Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs Warner Music Group Corp — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $88 (market cap $31.76B), while Warner Music Group Corp trades at $25.06 (market cap $13.12B). The key difference: Estee Lauder Companies Inc is far larger — about 2.4× Warner Music Group Corp's market cap, and Warner Music Group Corp pays the higher dividend (3.19%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| EL | WMG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $31.76B | $13.12B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Media |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $34.72 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $23.65 |
Enterprise Value | $37.93B | $17.42B |
Dividend Yield | 1.59% | 3.19% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
EL trades at $87.70, up 0.58% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus price target of $91.67. Recent quarterly earnings have consistently beaten expectations, though the company reported a net loss of $1.13 billion for 2025. Revenue has declined from $17.7 billion in 2022 to $14.33 billion in 2025, but positive cash flow from operations of $1.27 billion provides liquidity. A new fragrance launch and executive appointment signal ongoing brand development efforts.
The stock presents a mixed outlook. Analyst sentiment is divided with a slight Hold bias, yet technical momentum and earnings beats offer near-term upside potential. Key risks include sustained negative net income margins, high debt levels, and competitive pressures in the beauty sector. The upcoming Q2 2026 earnings report on August 19, 2026, will be critical for validating the recent positive earnings trend and guiding future price direction.
Warner Music Group (WMG) trades at $24.78, down 6.17% in the past 24 hours, with a bearish technical signal and support near $23. Recent earnings show mixed results, with Q1 and Q2 2026 beats but Q3 and Q4 2025 misses. Revenue grew to $6.71B in 2025, though net income margin declined to 5.44%. Analyst consensus is bullish with 16 buy ratings, citing streaming growth and strategic renewals like the NetEase Cloud Music partnership announced July 16, 2026.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, with strong analyst support and projected revenue growth to $7.3B in 2026. Risks include execution challenges amid leadership changes, competitive pressures, and market volatility. The current valuation at a P/E of 20.06 may appeal to growth-oriented investors, but near-term price weakness reflects earnings uncertainty.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Estee Lauder is the world leader in the global prestige beauty market, participating across skincare (56% of fiscal 2022 sales), makeup (26%), fragrance (14%), and haircare (4%) categories, with popular brands such as Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Jo Malone, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Origins, Dr. Jart+, and The Ordinary. The firm operates in 150 countries, with 26% of fiscal 2022 revenue stemming from the Americas, 43% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 31% from Asia-Pacific. The company sells its products through department stores, travel retail, multi-brand specialty beauty stores, brand-dedicated freestanding stores, e-commerce, salons/spas, and perfumeries.
Read more on EL →Warner Music Group is the third largest of the three major global record labels, with Vivendi's Universal Music in first and Sony Music in second. Warner's larger segment, recorded music, consists of iconic labels like Atlantic Records, Warner Records, and Parlophone Records and popular artists such as Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, and Blake Shelton. Warner Chappell, the firm's publishing arm, is the home to over 65,000 composers and songwriters with over a million copyrights represented. Warner is controlled by Access Industries, which owns an 84% economic interest and 99% of voting rights.
Read more on WMG →