Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Given New $330.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) had its target price raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $285.00 to $330.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the textile maker’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered shares of Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.64.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 9.4 %

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $272.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $289.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $238.24 and its 200-day moving average is $205.15.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 29.44%. Equities analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a $0.825 dividend. 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 1.21%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.46%.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,374,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $16,848,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $716,000. Aigen Investment Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 23,613 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $5,454,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at $10,777,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.