Schroder Investment Management Group Cuts Holdings in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Schroder Investment Management Group decreased its stake in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 4.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 139,303 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 6,311 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $42,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter valued at $32,000. MAI Capital Management raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 248.4% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 108 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 57.1% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 143 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $338.94 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $360.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $342.00. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $176.61 and a 12-month high of $389.15.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 37.97% and a net margin of 11.73%.Ralph Lauren’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is presently 24.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total transaction of $16,648,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. This represents a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on RL. Barclays upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $416.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim began coverage on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Argus upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $389.06.

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.