Retained Earnings
Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Retained Earnings decreased by 0.3% to $11.59B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 6.1%, from $12.34B to $11.59B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows relatively stable performance with a -1.2% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.
Detailed definition
The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...
Peer comparison
Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.
retained_earningsHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $12.24B | $12.86B | $13.74B | $14.08B | $13.91B | $14.19B | $14.34B | $14.26B | $13.99B | $13.78B | $13.86B | $13.95B | $13.43B | $13.03B | $12.31B | $12.34B | $11.67B | $11.59B | $11.62B | $11.59B |
| QoQ Change | — | +5.1% | +6.8% | +2.5% | -1.2% | +2.0% | +1.1% | -0.6% | -1.9% | -1.5% | +0.5% | +0.7% | -3.7% | -2.9% | -5.5% | +0.3% | -5.4% | -0.7% | +0.3% | -0.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +13.6% | +10.3% | +4.4% | +1.3% | +0.6% | -2.8% | -3.4% | -2.2% | -4.0% | -5.5% | -11.1% | -11.5% | -13.1% | -11.1% | -5.6% | -6.1% |
Retained Earnings at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Estee Lauder Companies Inc.'s retained earnings?
- Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) reported retained earnings of $11.59B in Q1 2026.
- How has Estee Lauder Companies Inc.'s retained earnings changed year-over-year?
- Estee Lauder Companies Inc.'s retained earnings decreased by 6.1% year-over-year, from $12.34B to $11.59B.
- What is the long-term trend for Estee Lauder Companies Inc.'s retained earnings?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Estee Lauder Companies Inc.'s retained earnings has grown at a -1.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $12.24B to $11.67B.
- What does retained earnings mean?
- The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.