Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on RL. Cfra Research raised Ralph Lauren from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ralph Lauren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.14.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

RL stock opened at $237.39 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $219.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.80. Ralph Lauren has a 12 month low of $155.96 and a 12 month high of $289.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. 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. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 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.