Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on RL. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $197.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Ralph Lauren from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.76.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $315.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $296.78 and its 200-day moving average is $262.37. The company has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.60. Ralph Lauren has a 52-week low of $176.61 and a 52-week high of $321.77.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The textile maker reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.50 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 10.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. Equities research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.9125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is currently 29.15%.

Ralph Lauren announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the textile maker to purchase up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 178.0% during the 1st quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.