Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL Shares Sold by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Hillsdale Investment Management cut its Ralph Lauren stake by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,870 shares and leaving it with 11,100 shares worth about $3.93 million.
• Ralph Lauren reported strong quarterly results, posting $2.80 EPS versus $2.52 expected and revenue of $1.98 billion, which topped estimates and rose 16.6% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share from $0.91, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $428.29.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,100 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 2,870 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $3,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,425 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,565,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,762 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $3,688,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,311 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $2,920,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 179 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Ralph Lauren stock opened at $364.14 on Monday. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $258.13 and a fifty-two week high of $393.41. The firm has a market cap of $21.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.35. The business's fifty day moving average is $357.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $357.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.28. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 38.17% and a net margin of 11.60%.The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.27 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RL. Citigroup upgraded Ralph Lauren from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ralph Lauren from $480.00 to $511.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ralph Lauren from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $428.29.

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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