Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.27 EPS

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The textile maker reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. Ralph Lauren's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of RL traded up $2.51 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $276.39. 568,326 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 839,884. Ralph Lauren has a 52 week low of $155.96 and a 52 week high of $289.33. The company has a market cap of $17.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $226.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a $0.9125 dividend. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 0.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,334 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $2,723,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,812 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,432 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 39.5% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 3,369 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $744,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RL. Barclays set a $260.00 target price on Ralph Lauren and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James lowered shares of Ralph Lauren from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $277.29.

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.