Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Shares Sold by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank trimmed its position in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,324 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 1,067 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank's holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $1,923,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,120,508 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $489,795,000 after acquiring an additional 70,544 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,415,473 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $326,946,000 after acquiring an additional 205,121 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,237,512 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $285,841,000 after buying an additional 289,924 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,079,578 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $249,361,000 after purchasing an additional 82,819 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 982,927 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $227,085,000 after purchasing an additional 65,303 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL traded up $11.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $286.00. 791,356 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 833,721. The company has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Ralph Lauren Co. has a twelve month low of $155.96 and a twelve month high of $289.33. The business's 50-day moving average price is $229.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.24.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 31.44%.

Ralph Lauren announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the textile maker to purchase up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $260.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $262.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ralph Lauren has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.88.

Ralph Lauren 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.