Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Takes $808,000 Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC made a new investment in Ralph Lauren Corporation, purchasing 3,662 shares valued at approximately $808,000 during the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds have increased their holdings in Ralph Lauren, with 67.91% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Ralph Lauren's quarterly earnings beat analysts' estimates, reporting an EPS of $3.77 compared to the expected $3.50, along with a revenue increase of 13.7% year-over-year.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,662 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $808,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 4.2% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 3.4% in the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 1,367 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 17.6% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 415 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 25.6% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 329 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RL has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $355.00 to $406.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $318.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target (up from $321.00) on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $307.88.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL traded down $3.50 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $308.52. 598,164 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 849,374. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 1 year low of $169.93 and a 1 year high of $321.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.60. 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 50 day simple moving average of $292.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.70.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 10.91%.The company had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the textile maker to buy up to 8.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Ralph Lauren 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.