Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $155.64.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up previously from $165.00) on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $132.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 80,043 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $11,542,000 after buying an additional 33,489 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,761 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 123,638 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $14,353,000 after buying an additional 48,432 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth $827,000. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth $743,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $157.33 on Friday. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $103.17 and a 1 year high of $192.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $178.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.96. The firm has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.17.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The textile maker reported $4.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.53 by $0.64. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.35 earnings per share. Ralph Lauren’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.01%.

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, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, and giftware; and fragrances.