Insider Selling: Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) CEO Sells $16,648,340.00 in Stock

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total transaction of $16,648,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,304,229.44. The trade was a 35.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 1.6%

RL opened at $369.05 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $360.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $333.00. The company has a market capitalization of $22.38 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.49. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 1-year low of $176.61 and a 1-year high of $380.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.42. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 37.97% and a net margin of 11.73%.The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.82 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 24.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $474.00 to $477.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays set a $416.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim began coverage on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $333.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ralph Lauren currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.06.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RL. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,425 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,565,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,762 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,688,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,114 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,920,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 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.