Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $284.62.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on RL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Raymond James downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Ralph Lauren in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 22,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd now owns 226 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 8,933.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 271 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

RL stock opened at $215.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.14. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.11%.

Ralph Lauren Company 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.