Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $428.2857.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE RL opened at $366.47 on Friday. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $258.13 and a one year high of $393.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $359.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.35.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 38.17%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.27 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 24.16%.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 265,601 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $83,282,000 after buying an additional 18,355 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the third quarter valued at approximately $899,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 116.9% during the third quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 47,445 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $14,877,000 after acquiring an additional 25,569 shares during the period. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 33.1% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 25,578 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,020,000 after purchasing an additional 6,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 177.9% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 54,701 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $19,343,000 after purchasing an additional 35,016 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is a global designer, marketer and distributor of premium lifestyle products under the Ralph Lauren name and a portfolio of related brands. The company, founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and headquartered in New York City, has grown from a single line of men’s neckties into a global lifestyle business that spans apparel, accessories and home goods.

Ralph Lauren’s product assortment includes menswear, womenswear and childrenswear along with footwear, leather goods, eyewear, fragrances and home furnishings.