Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $289.07 and last traded at $284.79, with a volume of 180003 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $249.00.

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 10.15% and a return on equity of 29.44%.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

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 was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is currently 31.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ralph Lauren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.64.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RL. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter valued at $94,831,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,139,975 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $221,007,000 after buying an additional 137,631 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter worth $19,320,000. Atreides Management LP boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atreides Management LP now owns 377,481 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $73,182,000 after buying an additional 83,349 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 839,296 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $162,714,000 after buying an additional 78,008 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.49. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $238.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.15.

Ralph Lauren Company 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.