Core Insights - Estée Lauder's stock has seen a steady increase over the past three months, with a notable jump of over 10% following the death of Leonard Lauder, a key executive and son of the founder [1][3] - Michael Burry's hedge fund, Scion Asset Management, has doubled its stake in Estée Lauder, making it the only long position held by the firm [1][3] Company Developments - Leonard Lauder, who played a significant role in transforming Estée Lauder into a global leader in the beauty industry, passed away at the age of 92 [2] - In the first quarter of 2025, Scion Asset Management purchased an additional 100,000 shares, increasing its total holdings to 200,000 shares [2] Market Trends - The increase in Estée Lauder's stock price may reflect a strategic bet on the "Lipstick Index," which suggests that consumers tend to purchase affordable luxuries like cosmetics during economic downturns [3] - Historical data indicates that during the 2008 recession, cosmetics sales increased, highlighting consumer behavior towards small comfort purchases in tough economic times [4]

Group 1: Alibaba - Alibaba is considered one of the cheapest stocks, trading at a forward P/E ratio of less than 15 times 2025 analyst estimates [2] - The company has made significant advancements in AI, particularly with its foundational AI model Qwen 2.5-Max, which supports various specialized open-source AI models [3] - The cloud intelligence group reported a 13% revenue growth to $4.3 billion, with AI-related revenue increasing for six consecutive quarters [4] - E-commerce platforms Tmall and Taobao are showing a turnaround, with overall segment revenue rising by 5% and third-party business revenue climbing by 9% [5] - Overall, Alibaba is gaining momentum as a cheap stock [6] Group 2: e.l.f. Beauty - e.l.f. Beauty's shares have decreased by nearly two-thirds, placing the stock in bargain territory with a forward P/E of 23 and a PEG ratio of 0.5 [7] - The company lowered its quarterly revenue growth forecast to 1% to 2% due to poor industry trends and potential impacts from a TikTok ban [8] - e.l.f. has opportunities for growth in the skincare market and adjacent categories like fragrance, along with international expansion [9] - The cosmetic industry tends to perform well during recessions, suggesting resilience for e.l.f. Beauty [10] - This is seen as a favorable time to acquire shares of e.l.f. Beauty while prices are low [11] Group 3: Crocs - Crocs shares have declined by about 20% over the past year, trading at a forward P/E of under 8 [12] - The company is focusing on turning around the HeyDudes brand, which has shown flat sales year over year, with a strategy targeting young female consumers [13] - Progress has been made in clearing older HeyDude inventory and returning to full-price selling [14] - Crocs continues to generate significant cash flow, with $923.2 million in free cash flow expected in 2024, providing financial flexibility for growth initiatives [15]