Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $236.35, but opened at $208.99. Ralph Lauren shares last traded at $197.86, with a volume of 298,909 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on RL shares. Raymond James cut shares of Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas upgraded Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.62.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 15.1 %

The company has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $249.94 and its 200-day moving average is $227.24.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. Research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.6% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,465 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,294,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth approximately $331,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,949 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,347,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 66.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 32,666 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $6,333,000 after buying an additional 12,995 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 46.3% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,366 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $653,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ralph Lauren

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.