Ralph Lauren Corporation Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.91 (NYSE:RL)

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be given a dividend of 0.9125 per share by the textile maker on Friday, April 10th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th.

Ralph Lauren has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 5 years. Ralph Lauren has a payout ratio of 24.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Ralph Lauren to earn $13.61 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.65 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 26.8%.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 1.4%

RL stock opened at $343.81 on Wednesday. Ralph Lauren has a fifty-two week low of $176.61 and a fifty-two week high of $389.15. The company has a market capitalization of $20.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.47. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $356.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $344.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.10.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 37.97% and a net margin of 11.73%.The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ralph Lauren

In other news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total value of $16,648,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. This represents a 35.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,425 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,565,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 0.3% in 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 last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 3.1% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,114 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 0.4% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.