Alps Advisors Inc. Acquires 2,181 Shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL)

Alps Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,395 shares of the textile maker's stock after buying an additional 2,181 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned about 0.06% of Ralph Lauren worth $8,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 415 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 347 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,659 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,307,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Ralph Lauren stock traded up $2.51 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $289.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 462,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 905,265. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $271.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $248.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 1-year low of $155.96 and a 1-year high of $295.52.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 31.76% and a net margin of 10.49%. Ralph Lauren's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the textile maker to purchase up to 8.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th were issued a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. This is a positive change from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 27th. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on RL shares. Wall Street Zen cut Ralph Lauren from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $262.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.