Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Shares Gap Down to $175.87

Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $175.87, but opened at $171.04. Ralph Lauren shares last traded at $172.73, with a volume of 49,244 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 24th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.50.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.7 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $174.26 and its 200 day moving average is $166.34. The company has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The textile maker reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.06. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 30.86%.

Insider Activity at Ralph Lauren

In related news, COO Jane Nielsen sold 67,243 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.25, for a total transaction of $11,515,363.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 44,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,636,208.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 39.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth about $42,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 99.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 1st quarter worth about $64,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, and giftware; and fragrances.