Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Given New $328.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $250.00 to $328.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the textile maker's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price would indicate a potential upside of 20.96% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Ralph Lauren from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ralph Lauren from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $277.14.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $271.16 on Friday. Ralph Lauren has a 1-year low of $155.96 and a 1-year high of $289.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $16.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Ralph Lauren declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the textile maker to reacquire up to 8.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 180.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 171 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.