3,168 Shares in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL Bought by Caxton Associates LLP

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation, purchasing 3,168 shares valued at approximately $699,000 during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Invesco Ltd. and AQR Capital Management, have increased their holdings in Ralph Lauren, with institutional ownership now at 67.91%.
• Ralph Lauren reported earnings per share of $3.77 for the last quarter, beating analyst expectations and showing a 13.7% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,168 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $699,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 178.0% during the first quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the first quarter worth $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 180.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 171 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the first quarter valued at $39,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Shares of RL traded down $1.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $315.23. 518,095 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 561,186. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $19.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.60. The firm's fifty day moving average is $296.18 and its 200 day moving average is $262.12. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $176.61 and a fifty-two week high of $321.77.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.50 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.91% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the textile maker to reacquire up to 8.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.9125 dividend. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 29.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Cfra Research raised Ralph Lauren from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Ralph Lauren from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $308.76.

About Ralph Lauren

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.