Groupe la Francaise Cuts Stock Holdings in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise cut its Ralph Lauren stake by 13% in the first quarter, selling 10,660 shares and retaining 71,113 shares valued at approximately $24.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.91% of the company.
• Ralph Lauren reported quarterly revenue of $1.98 billion and EPS of $2.80, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue increased 16.6% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, implying a 1.0% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 15 analysts rating the stock a Buy and three issuing Hold ratings. The shares have an average price target of $430.79 versus a reported trading price of $385.83.

Groupe la Francaise lessened its stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,113 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 10,660 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise owned about 0.12% of Ralph Lauren worth $24,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blueline Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE RL opened at $385.83 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $387.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $367.54. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 52 week low of $273.04 and a 52 week high of $421.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.34.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.28. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 38.17%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.27 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 26th. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 26.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $430.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $437.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $430.79.

About Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Corporation NYSE: RL is a global designer, marketer and distributor of premium lifestyle products under the Ralph Lauren name and a portfolio of related brands. The company, founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and headquartered in New York City, has grown from a single line of men's neckties into a global lifestyle business that spans apparel, accessories and home goods.

Ralph Lauren's product assortment includes menswear, womenswear and childrenswear along with footwear, leather goods, eyewear, fragrances and home furnishings.

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