Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 24,164.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 254,292 shares of the textile maker's stock after acquiring an additional 253,244 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.41% of Ralph Lauren worth $56,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 5,274 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at $286,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at $246,000. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at $230,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

RL traded down $3.75 on Wednesday, reaching $278.07. The company had a trading volume of 572,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 823,803. The company has a fifty day moving average of $235.54 and a 200-day moving average of $238.96. The company has a market capitalization of $17.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Ralph Lauren Co. has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. Ralph Lauren's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the textile maker to repurchase up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.9125 dividend. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on RL. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $197.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $318.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $262.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.88.

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.