Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Stock

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) had its target price increased by Barclays from $416.00 to $430.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the textile maker’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 26.88% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday. Argus boosted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $333.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $389.06.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL opened at $338.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $361.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $340.79. Ralph Lauren has a fifty-two week low of $176.61 and a fifty-two week high of $389.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 37.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.82 EPS. Analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ralph Lauren

In other Ralph Lauren news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares in the company, valued at $30,304,229.44. The trade was a 35.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 38.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of RL. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $27,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ralph Lauren

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.