L’Oreal SA

The personal care industry provided a 3.7% return to FEZ’s performance on December 15, 2015. L’Oreal (LRLCY) and Unilever (UN) rose by 4.2% and 3.3%.

Estée Lauder (EL) is trading at a higher valuation relative to the S&P 500 Index (IVV) (SPY) (VOO) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA).

Coty (COTY) and L’Oréal (LRLCY) are trading at higher valuation multiples relative to the S&P 500 Index (IVV)(SPY)(VOO) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA).

With increasing competition from L’Oréal, Shiseido, and Coty, Estée Lauder continues to expand its position in Western Europe and emerging markets.

Coty (COTY) reported a fall in its gross margin in fiscal 3Q16. Its reported gross margin came in at 61.2% in fiscal 3Q16 compared to 62.3% in fiscal 3Q15.

Beauty companies’ revenues for 4Q15 conveyed mixed signals to investors. Although Procter & Gamble and Avon started the earnings season on a disappointing note with lower sales, Estée Lauder and Coty beat consensus Wall Street estimates.

Coty released its fiscal 3Q16 earnings on May 3, 2016. The quarter ended on March 31, 2016. The company’s adjusted diluted EPS fell 50.0% to $0.09.

Coty (COTY) and L’Oréal (LRLCY) are trading at higher valuations relative to the S&P 500 Index (IVV) (SPY) (VOO) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA).

France (EWQ) is one of the leading economies of the European Union (FEZ) (EZU) now facing a serious problem of unemployment.

The SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (FEZ) is an important gauge of the European equity market. On November 11, the fund closed at $36.01, up by 0.28% from the previous trading session.

Interpublic Group’s (IPG) companies specialize in consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations, and specialized communications disciplines.

The Dreyfus International Stock Fund (DISAX) invests at least 80% of its net assets in the common stocks of non-US issuers.

Coty (COTY) reported a decline in its gross margin in 4Q16 as well as fiscal 2016. The reported gross margin came in at 56.7% for 4Q16.

Coty (COTY) released its fiscal 4Q16 and full-year earnings on August 16, 2016. The quarter ended on June 30. Here’s what you need to know.

The Brown Advisory WMC Strategic European Equity Fund Investor Shares (BIAHX) has fallen 1.5% YTD (year-to-date).

The Brown Advisory WMC Strategic European Equity Fund Investor Shares generally invests at least 80% of its net assets in European companies.

Beauty companies continue to expand into a multi-pronged digital strategy that encompasses e-commerce, m-commerce, as well as digital and social media.

The beauty and personal care sectors have seen a high level of merger and acquisition (or M&A) activity in the last two years.

Compared to its peers, the relatively high exposure to energy stocks has benefited HLMNX in 2016 so far.

Demandware offers cloud software for building e-commerce websites. Its acquisition marked Salesforce’s entry into the e-commerce space.

Estée Lauder’s makeup segment’s net revenue rose 7.3% in reported terms and 11% in constant currency terms to $1.2 billion in fiscal 3Q16.

BIAHX fell 1.1% in 1Q16, ranking it third among the 12 funds in this review. In the past one year, the fund posted small gains of 0.2%, which again placed it third in its peer group.

BIAHX was invested across 68 holdings as of March 2016, three more than a quarter ago. It was managing assets worth $1.11 billion.

Coty was trading at $29.80 on April 25, 2016. Its stock price has risen 45.9% since January 2, 2015, and 19.3% year-to-date.

Estée Lauder reported a slight decrease in its 2Q16 gross margin, which remained virtually flat from the prior year at 81.2%.

From a NAV return standpoint, BIAHX stood third among its peers for the one-year period until March 15, 2016. Since the ECB announcement of stimulus measures, the fund is fifth.

France’s CPI (consumer price index) rose 0.3% in February. The CPI index for January stood at -1%. The rise in the CPI is a positive sign for the economy.

Estée Lauder (EL) is trading at a higher valuation than the S&P 500 (IVV) (SPY) (VOO) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA).

Estée Lauder’s skincare segment’s net revenue decreased 3.3% in reported terms and increased 2% on a constant-currency basis to $1.2 billion in fiscal 2Q16.

The HLMNX’s standard deviation, or the volatility of returns, in the one-year period until February 29 was 15.2%.

The Brown Advisory – WMC Strategic European Equity Fund (BIAHX) was managing assets worth $1.1 billion as of January 2016.

P&G’s Beauty, Hair, and Personal Care segment’s organic sales rose 1% in fiscal 2Q16.

Let’s discuss Coty’s margins. It reported a slight improvement in the adjusted gross margin in fiscal 1Q16. This adjusted gross margin rose 70 basis points.

The Columbia European Equity Fund – Class A (AXEAX) fell 1.5% in December 2015 from the previous month.

A rise in stocks after the European Central Bank’s announcement on January 21 provided a short-term boost to Europe-focused mutual funds (IEOAX) (UEPIX).

EON returned -40% in 2015, and its current price-to-earnings ratio is 17.8x. It’s trading 1% below its 100-day moving average. This was a storng resistance point.

Since the EU is a net importer of crude oil, falling oil prices will have a positive impact on the economy. Oil and gas account for 7.3% in FEZ.

On December 23, 2015, all of the industries of the SPDR Euro STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ) had positive returns. The returns pushed FEZ up. HEDJ rose by 2.2%

On December 22, the stocks at the bottom of the SPDR Euro STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ) were Deutsche Post, Siemens, Bayer, L’Oreal, Anheuser-Busch, and Sanofi.

On Friday, December 11, 2015, the stocks at the top of FEZ were Industria De Diseno, Sanofi (SNY), UniCredit, ING Groep, and L’Oréal. It’s worth noting that all these stocks had negative returns that day.