Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $201.22 and last traded at $200.47, with a volume of 9113 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $199.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $193.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $207.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, September 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.00.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $12.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $177.82 and its 200-day moving average is $174.60.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.25. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 28.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,775.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the first quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

About Ralph Lauren

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.