Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Takes Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,241 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $792,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,762 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,688,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,114 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,920,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Polymer Capital Management US LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 179 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 7.4%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $375.56 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $352.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.98. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $176.61 and a one year high of $389.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.46.

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

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 24.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ralph Lauren news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, 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 this link. 38.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $416.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ralph Lauren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $391.56.

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.