Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Has $52.05 Million Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren Corporation by 5.4% during the first quarter, now owning over 235,811 shares worth approximately $52 million.
• Ralph Lauren recently approved a $1.50 billion share buyback plan, signaling the board's belief that the stock is undervalued.
• The company's quarterly earnings beat analyst expectations with an EPS of $3.77, surpassing estimates of $3.50, and revenues increased by 13.7% year-over-year.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 235,811 shares of the textile maker's stock after buying an additional 12,057 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.38% of Ralph Lauren worth $52,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 178.0% during the 1st quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 180.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 171 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 74.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $306.41.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL traded up $0.4160 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $285.8760. The stock had a trading volume of 594,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,997. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 12-month low of $167.32 and a 12-month high of $306.34. The stock has a market cap of $17.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $258.80.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 22nd that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the textile maker to reacquire up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.