By George Glover
Estée Lauder is in merger talks -- and that's made things even uglier for the beauty and cosmetics giant's beaten-down shares.
Shares ticked up 0.9% to $80 in Tuesday's premarket after Estée Lauder confirmed it was "in discussions" regarding a combination with Spanish fashion company Puig Brands, which owns labels including Jean-Paul Gauthier and Dries Van Noten.
That sounds like a solid-enough reaction -- except the stock closed 7.7% lower on Monday, on a day the broader market rallied.
The selloff came after The Wall Street Journal reported the talks, citing people familiar with the matter. The companies have discussed a deal involving a mix of cash and stock, per the Journal.
Puig's Madrid-listed shares jumped 15% on Tuesday after the talks were confirmed.
The market often punishes the larger party in potential deals like this, which would create a beauty giant with a combined market capitalization of about $40 billion.
Until there's more information about how the merger would be structured, investors may worry that Estée Lauder is overpaying for a difficult asset.
Through Monday's close, Puig stock was down 36% since the company made its stock-market debut in April 2024, hit by worries about stagnant demand for its fragrances.
Estée Lauder shares have also taken a battering lately. The stock has tumbled 24% already this year as investors worry that faltering consumer spending could weigh on its bottom line, as well as tariffs and restructuring charges.
Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 24, 2026 05:40 ET (09:40 GMT)
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