Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts remain bullish on Ralph Lauren: Seventeen brokerages give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 15 buys and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $449, above its reported opening price of $355.82.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Ralph Lauren reported earnings of $4.59 per share versus the $4.32 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.96 billion and grew 13.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, equivalent to $4.00 annually and a 1.1% yield, with a payout ratio of 25.2%.

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $449.00.

Several research firms have recently commented on RL. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $405.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $434.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL stock opened at $355.82 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.34. Ralph Lauren has a 1-year low of $306.55 and a 1-year high of $421.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $362.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $367.83.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The textile maker reported $4.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.32 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 39.10%. The firm's revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.77 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ralph Lauren will post 18.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Friday, September 25th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is presently 25.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 154.9% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 76.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 171 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation NYSE: RL is a global lifestyle company that designs, markets, and distributes apparel, accessories, home furnishings, fragrances, and related products. Its portfolio includes the Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Purple Label, Double RL, and other brands, which offer products across men's, women's, and children's categories.

The company sells its products through company-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, department stores, specialty retailers, and selected third-party distributors.

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