Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $354.70, but opened at $325.48. Ralph Lauren shares last traded at $329.8060, with a volume of 789,459 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on RL shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $473.00 to $474.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $409.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $377.71.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 5.5%

The company has a market cap of $20.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $362.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.98%.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 61.3% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.