Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $393.42 and last traded at $392.6060, with a volume of 470843 shares. The stock had previously closed at $372.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $480.00 to $511.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $437.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $430.00 to $439.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $428.29.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 4.9%

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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $363.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $359.68. The firm has a market cap of $23.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.35.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost 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 24.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blueline Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the third quarter worth $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 61.3% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other 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.