Erste Asset Management GmbH Trims Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Erste Asset Management GmbH lessened its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,800 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $17,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in RL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,334 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,723,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 39.5% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 3,369 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $744,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,812 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $841,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter worth $386,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $373.71 on Tuesday. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 12-month low of $258.13 and a 12-month high of $393.41. The company has a market cap of $22.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $360.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $358.91.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on RL. Zacks Research downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $437.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.