Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Upgraded by Citigroup to Buy Rating

Citigroup upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $400.00 target price on the textile maker’s stock, up from their prior target price of $360.00.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on RL. Evercore set a $420.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Guggenheim began coverage on Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $422.00 target price on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.56.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:RL opened at $343.81 on Tuesday. Ralph Lauren has a 12-month low of $176.61 and a 12-month high of $389.15. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $356.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $344.58. The firm has a market cap of $20.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.47.

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

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Ralph Lauren

In other Ralph Lauren news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. This trade represents a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,324,018 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $468,186,000 after purchasing an additional 275,263 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,050,543 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $370,852,000 after purchasing an additional 54,686 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.2% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,007,745 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $276,407,000 after buying an additional 117,494 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased 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 buying an additional 952,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 941,832 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $295,321,000 after buying an additional 98,511 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ralph Lauren

Here are the key news stories impacting Ralph Lauren this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup upgraded RL from Neutral to Buy with a $400 price target (up from $360), giving shares meaningful upside potential and likely contributing to the intraday bump. Benzinga Citi Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary turned more bullish today — multiple upgrade/coverage notes flagged RL as a buy, reinforcing momentum among retail and institutional traders. MSN: Analyst Turns Bullish
• Positive Sentiment: Citi Research published bullish commentary (“Good time to buy”) pointing to more upsides ahead, which supports investor confidence in RL’s near‑term outlook. MSN: Citi Research
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental drivers: Zacks highlights margin improvement from premiumization and full‑price selling, and management continues to target further operating‑margin expansion — a direct earnings catalyst. Zacks: Margin Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter and fashion‑retail coverage note renewed momentum in RL shares and positioning among discretionary retail names, supporting short‑term flow. Kalkine: Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Ralph Lauren announced its “Timeless by Design 2030” global citizenship & sustainability plan — important for brand positioning and ESG investors but likely a longer‑horizon catalyst rather than an immediate earnings driver. Yahoo: Timeless by Design 2030
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha notes RL is a strong, coveted brand but currently appears fairly valued, which could limit near‑term upside despite positive operational trends. Seeking Alpha: Fairly Valued

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.