Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ralph Lauren has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 18 brokerages, with 15 buy ratings and 3 hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $430.07.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.80 versus estimates of $2.52 and revenue of $1.98 billion versus expectations of $1.85 billion. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year.
• Ralph Lauren also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share from $0.91, equal to a $4.00 annualized dividend and a 1.1% yield. Institutional investors hold a large stake in the company, owning 67.91% of shares.

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $430.0714.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on RL. Zacks Research downgraded Ralph Lauren from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup raised Ralph Lauren from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, May 21st.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RL. Summit Global Investments raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.0% in the first quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 1,510 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $519,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,425 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,565,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 1.1% during the third quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,013,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 179 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL opened at $380.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $379.56 and a 200-day moving average of $366.31. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $273.04 and a one year high of $421.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. Ralph Lauren's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 18.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 26th. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.47%.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.