Teacher Retirement System of Texas Lowers Stock Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its holdings in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 50.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,173 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 14,474 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $3,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 178.0% during the first quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 281.1% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 22,500.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd now owns 226 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on RL shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $197.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.88.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

NYSE RL traded down $2.87 on Friday, reaching $287.00. The company had a trading volume of 526,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 807,988. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 12 month low of $155.96 and a 12 month high of $295.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.49. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $270.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $248.20. 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 (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 31.76%. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren declared that its board has approved a share repurchase 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is currently 31.44%.

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.