Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $223.90.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $207.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $208.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Ralph Lauren stock opened at $231.40 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $14.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $184.33. Ralph Lauren has a 52 week low of $127.68 and a 52 week high of $237.16.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 29.44% and a net margin of 10.15%. Ralph Lauren’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 31.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,775.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 86.6% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 222 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 8,933.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 271 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ralph Lauren

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.