Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) PT Lowered to $196.00 at TD Cowen

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) had its price objective decreased by TD Cowen from $202.00 to $196.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the textile maker’s stock.

RL has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 24th. Guggenheim restated a buy rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Friday, May 24th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Argus restated a hold rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $170.42.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

RL opened at $168.10 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.29. Ralph Lauren has a 1 year low of $108.60 and a 1 year high of $192.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.52.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The textile maker reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.06. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. Ralph Lauren’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 11.09 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 12th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This is a positive change from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 33.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jane Nielsen sold 67,243 shares of Ralph Lauren stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.25, for a total value of $11,515,363.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 44,591 shares in the company, valued at $7,636,208.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 11.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter worth $30,000. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,775.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

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.