Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Shares Sold by L & S Advisors Inc

L & S Advisors Inc lessened its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,226 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 665 shares during the period. Ralph Lauren accounts for about 0.9% of L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. L & S Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.06% of Ralph Lauren worth $8,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,436 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,411,000 after buying an additional 5,133 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 17.7% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 1.6% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,465 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,294,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 81.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 121,139 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $23,485,000 after acquiring an additional 54,409 shares during the period. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $331,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on RL. Argus raised Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $286.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.62.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 4.3 %

NYSE RL opened at $215.46 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $251.01 and a 200-day moving average of $225.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 12 month low of $155.96 and a 12 month high of $289.33. The company has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Ralph Lauren Profile

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.