Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Price Target Raised to $450.00

Key Points

• BTIG raised its price target to $450 for Ralph Lauren (implying ~27.5% upside), joining other firms that have recently boosted targets; the stock's consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $400.31.
• Ralph Lauren recently beat quarterly estimates with $6.22 EPS vs. $5.80 expected and revenue of $2.41B vs. $2.30B, reporting a net margin of 11.73% and ROE of 37.97%; analysts project ~16.25 EPS for the year.
• CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares for about $16.65M (average $354.22), reducing his ownership by 35.46%; insiders still hold 38.34% of the company.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at BTIG Research from $435.00 to $450.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the textile maker's stock. BTIG Research's price target would indicate a potential upside of 27.48% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore set a $420.00 price objective on Ralph Lauren and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $477.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $400.31.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $352.99 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $357.09 and a 200 day moving average of $354.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.37. Ralph Lauren has a 12-month low of $246.07 and a 12-month high of $393.41.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.42. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 37.97%. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren will post 16.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total transaction of $16,648,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. This represents a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 38.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 18.6% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 32,362 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $10,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 7.4% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 265,601 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $83,282,000 after buying an additional 18,355 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth approximately $899,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth approximately $86,719,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 159.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,113 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $3,171,000 after purchasing an additional 6,213 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ralph Lauren

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.

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