Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Takes $5.11 Million Position in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 22,126 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $5,111,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth about $19,320,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 137.4% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,849 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 24.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,545 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $17,425,000 after buying an additional 16,575 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 8,781 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,702,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $94,831,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.14.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of RL stock traded down $0.59 on Thursday, hitting $224.36. 725,872 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 838,988. Ralph Lauren Co. has a twelve month low of $155.96 and a twelve month high of $289.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.47, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $221.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.11%.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men's, women's, and children's clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.