Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Buys 255,511 Shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 40.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 895,017 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 255,511 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 1.48% of Ralph Lauren worth $316,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of RL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 5.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 0.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,334 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,723,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 39.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 3,369 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 29.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,812 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $841,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter worth $386,000. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $366.58 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $21.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.26, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $360.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $358.35. 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 current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

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

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on RL. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $428.29.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

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.