Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 19,073 Shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 656.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,980 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,073 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $6,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 248.4% in the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 108 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of RL stock opened at $362.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.49. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 12-month low of $176.61 and a 12-month high of $389.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $362.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $338.37.

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

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on RL. Argus upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays set a $416.00 price objective on Ralph Lauren and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $388.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total transaction of $16,648,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,304,229.44. This represents a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

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.