Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Stock Price

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $260.00 to $321.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the textile maker's stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on RL. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $262.00 target price on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Ralph Lauren from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.88.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $285.25. The stock had a trading volume of 256,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 831,467. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $17.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.59. Ralph Lauren has a 12-month low of $155.96 and a 12-month high of $289.33.

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

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

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 459.3% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 23,755 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $5,244,000 after acquiring an additional 19,508 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 29.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,812 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 92.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 462 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 39.5% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 3,369 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares during the period. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 1st quarter worth about $997,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company's stock.

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.