Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on RL. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $474.00 to $477.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim started coverage on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $420.00 price target on Ralph Lauren and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Argus boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $422.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.06.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 1.5%

Ralph Lauren stock opened at $361.59 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.49. Ralph Lauren has a fifty-two week low of $176.61 and a fifty-two week high of $380.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $360.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.13. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 37.97%. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.82 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.85%.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of RL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,334 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,723,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 39.5% during the first 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 period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 29.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $386,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.