Independent Financial Group LLC Invests $1.47 Million in Ralph Lauren Corporation $RL

Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,273 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,470,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 8,937.8% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 963,340 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $264,225,000 after acquiring an additional 952,681 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,324,018 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $468,186,000 after purchasing an additional 275,263 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 895,017 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $316,487,000 after purchasing an additional 255,511 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 881,360 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $311,658,000 after purchasing an additional 245,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 70.5% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 586,225 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $207,295,000 after purchasing an additional 242,386 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ralph Lauren from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Ralph Lauren from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $430.07.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 0.1%

RL stock opened at $380.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Ralph Lauren Corporation has a 1-year low of $273.04 and a 1-year high of $421.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $379.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $366.38. The firm has a market cap of $22.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.34.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The textile maker reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.28. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 38.17%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.27 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 18.33 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 26th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.47%.

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.