Short Interest in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) Expands By 25.8%

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,560,000 shares, an increase of 25.8% from the August 15th total of 1,240,000 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 677,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 677,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 93.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 178.0% in the 1st quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on RL. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $318.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $353.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $197.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $311.41.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 0.6%

Ralph Lauren stock opened at $311.98 on Friday. Ralph Lauren has a twelve month low of $176.61 and a twelve month high of $321.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $298.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.80. The company has a market capitalization of $18.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.50 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.91% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.15%.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.