StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL – Get Rating) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the textile maker’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Bank of America raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Ralph Lauren from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $101.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Friday, January 20th. Cowen increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $124.86.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL opened at $110.92 on Thursday. Ralph Lauren has a fifty-two week low of $82.23 and a fifty-two week high of $128.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $119.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.08.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The textile maker reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.44. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 8.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.27%.

Insider Activity at Ralph Lauren

In other Ralph Lauren news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 18,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $2,220,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 220,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,499,840. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 36.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 40.5% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,225 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 451.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 21,696 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,461,000 after buying an additional 17,764 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,048 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,575 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 1,808 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 10,892 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. 66.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ralph Lauren

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Ralph Lauren Corp. engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products. The firm offers apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed products. It operates through the following segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. The North America segment consists of sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company’s wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S.