vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of Estée Lauder Companies (The) (EL) and FLEX LTD. (FLEX). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
FLEX LTD. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($7.1B vs $4.2B, roughly 1.7× Estée Lauder Companies (The)). Estée Lauder Companies (The) runs the higher net margin — 3.8% vs 3.4%, a 0.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, FLEX LTD. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (7.7% vs 5.6%). Estée Lauder Companies (The) produced more free cash flow last quarter ($1.0B vs $272.0M). Over the past eight quarters, FLEX LTD.'s revenue compounded faster (25.2% CAGR vs 3.6%).
Estée Lauder was an American businesswoman. She co-founded her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband, Joseph Lauter. Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century.
Flex Ltd. is a Singaporean–American multinational manufacturing company. It is the third largest global electronics manufacturing services (EMS), original design manufacturer (ODM) company by revenue, behind only Pegatron for what concerns original equipment manufacturers. Flex's U.S. corporate headquarters are located in Austin, Texas. The company has manufacturing operations in over 30 countries, totaling about 172,000 employees.
EL vs FLEX — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q2 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.2B | $7.1B |
| Net Profit | $162.0M | $239.0M |
| Gross Margin | 76.5% | 9.6% |
| Operating Margin | 9.5% | 5.5% |
| Net Margin | 3.8% | 3.4% |
| Revenue YoY | 5.6% | 7.7% |
| Net Profit YoY | 127.5% | -9.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.44 | $0.64 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $4.2B | $7.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.5B | $6.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.4B | $6.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.5B | $6.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.0B | $6.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.4B | $6.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.9B | $6.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.9B | $4.5B |
| Q4 25 | $162.0M | $239.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $47.0M | $199.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-546.0M | $192.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $159.0M | $222.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-590.0M | $263.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-156.0M | $214.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-286.0M | $139.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $335.0M | $395.0M |
| Q4 25 | 76.5% | 9.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 73.4% | 9.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 72.0% | 8.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 75.0% | 8.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 76.1% | 9.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 72.4% | 8.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 71.8% | 7.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 71.9% | -0.6% |
| Q4 25 | 9.5% | 5.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.9% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | -11.4% | 4.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.6% | 4.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.5% | 5.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | -3.6% | 4.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | -6.0% | 3.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 13.5% | -3.6% |
| Q4 25 | 3.8% | 3.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 2.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | -16.0% | 2.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 3.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.7% | 4.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | -4.6% | 3.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | -7.4% | 2.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.5% | 8.8% |
| Q4 25 | $0.44 | $0.64 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.13 | $0.52 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.52 | $0.50 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.44 | $0.56 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.64 | $0.67 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.43 | $0.54 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.79 | $0.34 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.91 | $0.91 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $3.1B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $7.3B | $4.4B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $4.0B | $5.1B |
| Total Assets | $19.6B | $20.8B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.82× | 0.87× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $3.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $2.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $2.5B |
| Q4 25 | $7.3B | $4.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $7.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.3B | $3.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.3B | $3.2B | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.3B | $3.3B |
| Q4 25 | $4.0B | $5.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.9B | $5.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9B | $5.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3B | $5.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.2B | $5.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.1B | $5.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.3B | $5.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.7B | $5.3B |
| Q4 25 | $19.6B | $20.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $19.3B | $19.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $19.9B | $19.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $19.9B | $18.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.8B | $18.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $21.3B | $18.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.7B | $17.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $22.7B | $18.3B |
| Q4 25 | 1.82× | 0.87× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.88× | 0.73× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.89× | 0.72× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.68× | 0.74× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.75× | 0.74× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.44× | 0.74× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.37× | 0.64× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.26× | 0.61× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $1.1B | $420.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $1.0B | $272.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 24.0% | 3.9% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.6% | 2.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 6.94× | 1.76× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.1B | $1.2B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $420.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-340.0M | $453.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $601.0M | $399.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $284.0M | $433.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $413.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-670.0M | $319.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $889.0M | $340.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $534.0M | $679.0M |
| Q4 25 | $1.0B | $272.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-436.0M | $303.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $394.0M | $266.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.0M | $321.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $925.0M | $301.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-811.0M | $216.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $672.0M | $229.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $359.0M | $598.0M |
| Q4 25 | 24.0% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | -12.5% | 4.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.6% | 4.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 5.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.1% | 4.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -24.1% | 3.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 17.4% | 3.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.1% | 13.3% |
| Q4 25 | 2.6% | 2.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.8% | 2.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.1% | 2.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.4% | 1.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.3% | 1.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.2% | 1.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.6% | 1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.4% | 1.8% |
| Q4 25 | 6.94× | 1.76× | ||
| Q3 25 | -7.23× | 2.28× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 2.08× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.79× | 1.95× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 1.57× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.49× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 2.45× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.59× | 1.72× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
EL
| Skin Care | $2.1B | 49% |
| Makeup | $1.2B | 28% |
| Fragrance | $812.0M | 19% |
| Hair Care | $168.0M | 4% |
| Other | $31.0M | 1% |
FLEX
| Flex Reliability Solutions FRS | $3.2B | 46% |
| Transferred At Point In Time | $2.7B | 38% |
| Transferred Over Time | $1.1B | 16% |
