Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) Short Interest Update

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,252,053 shares, a growth of 31.7% from the December 15th total of 1,709,679 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 644,649 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 6.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 6.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 644,649 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. 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 reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.29.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $363.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.04. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $176.61 and a 1 year high of $380.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $356.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.66. The firm has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.49.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The textile maker reported $3.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.45 by $0.34. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 36.18% and a net margin of 11.28%.The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 26.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,762 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,688,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 3.1% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,114 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 179 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

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.