Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Boosts Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 21.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,829 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $3,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.0% in the third quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 163,875 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $51,385,000 after buying an additional 3,142 shares during the last quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 64.4% in the third quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC now owns 3,074 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 360,122 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $112,920,000 after acquiring an additional 77,772 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 565.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 72,044 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $22,590,000 after acquiring an additional 61,211 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 166.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 27,716 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,691,000 after purchasing an additional 17,300 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Shares of RL stock opened at $338.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $359.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $343.21. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 52-week low of $176.61 and a 52-week high of $389.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.47.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.82 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $389.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,304,229.44. This trade represents a 35.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 38.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ralph Lauren 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.