Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $246.78 and last traded at $246.18, with a volume of 110702 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $240.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on RL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Cfra set a $171.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Argus upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.09.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 2.6 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $15.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $227.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $198.32.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 29.44% and a net margin of 10.15%. Ralph Lauren’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is currently 31.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 158.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 863,336 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $149,478,000 after purchasing an additional 528,778 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $94,831,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,139,975 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $221,007,000 after acquiring an additional 137,631 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3,520.3% during the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 120,231 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $21,047,000 after acquiring an additional 116,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $19,320,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.