Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

RL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $333.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.06.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $361.67 on Monday. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $176.61 and a 1 year high of $380.00. The company has a market capitalization of $21.93 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $360.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $332.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 37.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.82 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,007,745 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $276,407,000 after purchasing an additional 117,494 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 18.6% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 32,362 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $10,147,000 after buying an additional 5,075 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren during the third quarter worth about $899,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 265,601 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $83,282,000 after acquiring an additional 18,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 159.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,113 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,171,000 after acquiring an additional 6,213 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is a global designer, marketer and distributor of premium lifestyle products under the Ralph Lauren name and a portfolio of related brands. The company, founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and headquartered in New York City, has grown from a single line of men’s neckties into a global lifestyle business that spans apparel, accessories and home goods.

Ralph Lauren’s product assortment includes menswear, womenswear and childrenswear along with footwear, leather goods, eyewear, fragrances and home furnishings.