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

Shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $428.2857.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $430.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $480.00 to $511.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $437.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday, May 22nd.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE RL opened at $363.84 on Friday. Ralph Lauren has a 12 month low of $258.13 and a 12 month 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. The company has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $358.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $357.69.

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

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Global Investments raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.0% during the first quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 1,510 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,425 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,565,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,762 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,688,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.4% during the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,920,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.