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

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $349.6250.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RL shares. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $423.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RL. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Ralph Lauren by 61.3% in the 3rd 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. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of RL opened at $357.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $331.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.52. 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 one year low of $176.61 and a one year high of $374.00.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The textile maker reported $3.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $0.34. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.18%. The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.54 earnings per share. Ralph Lauren’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th were paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

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.