Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Hits New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Ralph Lauren's share price hit a new 12-month high at $327.27, with a trading volume of 15,126 shares, reflecting a positive market response.
• The company received several analyst upgrades, including a price target increase from UBS Group to $404.00, indicating strong market sentiment towards Ralph Lauren's stock.
• Ralph Lauren announced a quarterly dividend of $0.9125, to be paid on October 10th, with a current yield of 1.1% and a payout ratio of 29.15%.

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $327.27 and last traded at $326.15, with a volume of 15126 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $324.77.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on RL shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Cfra Research upgraded Ralph Lauren from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.53.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 0.5%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $304.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.61.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.50 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 10.91%.The company's revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 29.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RL. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,062 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 985.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 1,576 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 120.1% in the first quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,330 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,839,000 after buying an additional 4,545 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 9.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,152 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the first quarter worth about $203,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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