Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Position in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,204 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 7,612 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 25.6% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 329 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth about $297,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 167.3% during the 1st quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 3,534 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 64,007 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $14,129,000 after buying an additional 1,926 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth about $808,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 0.5%

RL opened at $358.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.52. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 12 month low of $176.61 and a 12 month high of $380.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $347.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $315.65.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The textile maker reported $3.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $0.34. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.18%. The business had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.54 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $423.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on Ralph Lauren from $421.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $364.60.

Ralph Lauren 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.