Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Reaches New 12-Month High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $289.07 and last traded at $284.79, with a volume of 180003 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $249.00.

The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 29.44% and a net margin of 10.15%.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 31.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Raymond James lowered Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $251.73.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RL. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,952 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 2nd quarter valued at about $715,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $489,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 9.7% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,160 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,582,000 after buying an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 672 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 15.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.72. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $237.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.67. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.49.

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.