Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL Shares Sold by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,800 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.08% of Ralph Lauren worth $17,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $437.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research lowered Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $428.29.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

RL stock opened at $373.71 on Tuesday. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 1 year low of $258.13 and a 1 year high of $393.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $360.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.91. The firm has a market cap of $22.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.35.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.28. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 38.17% and a net margin of 11.60%.The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.27 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.16%.

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.