Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $292.88.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $260.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $197.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL stock opened at $266.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.33, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the textile maker to reacquire up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. This is a positive change from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% in the first 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. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 180.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 171 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.