Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Raised to Buy at Citigroup

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $400.00 price objective on the textile maker’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $360.00. Citigroup’s target price points to a potential upside of 17.81% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on RL. Evercore set a $420.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $391.56.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $339.52 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $356.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.36. The company has a market cap of $20.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.11, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.10. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $176.61 and a one year high of $389.15.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released 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. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 37.97% and a net margin of 11.73%.The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.82 EPS. Ralph Lauren’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 47,000 shares of Ralph Lauren stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.22, for a total value of $16,648,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 85,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,304,229.44. This trade represents a 35.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 38.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the third quarter valued at $27,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the second quarter worth $28,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 61.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

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.