Versant Capital Management Inc Increases Holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 333.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 351 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 270 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $81,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,999 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $12,601,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren during the third quarter valued at approximately $94,831,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 8,781 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,702,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 24.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,545 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $17,425,000 after purchasing an additional 16,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 137.4% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,849 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Ralph Lauren stock opened at $234.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $220.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.34. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 12-month low of $134.90 and a 12-month high of $237.16.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 29.44% and a net margin of 10.15%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on RL. Cfra set a $171.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Ralph Lauren from $208.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.27.

Ralph Lauren Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.