Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on RL. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $333.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays set a $416.00 price target on Ralph Lauren and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.06.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $359.34 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $360.55 and its 200-day moving average is $332.32. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $176.61 and a 1 year high of $380.00. The company has a market capitalization of $21.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 37.97% and a net margin of 11.73%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were given a dividend of $0.9125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ralph Lauren news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of Ralph Lauren stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total value of $16,648,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. The trade was a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 8,937.8% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 963,340 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $264,225,000 after purchasing an additional 952,681 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter valued at $86,719,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 895,017 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $316,487,000 after acquiring an additional 255,511 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth $74,841,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 118.3% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 388,138 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $106,458,000 after purchasing an additional 210,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.