Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Increases Holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 151,167 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,082 shares during the period. Ralph Lauren accounts for 1.6% of Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $34,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Burney Co. bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter worth $5,711,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 2.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 492,787 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $95,537,000 after buying an additional 13,640 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 145.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 59,927 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $11,618,000 after acquiring an additional 35,550 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,819,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 11,913 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,752,000 after acquiring an additional 2,880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 3.7 %

NYSE RL opened at $252.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.76. Ralph Lauren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $155.96 and a fifty-two week high of $289.33. The stock has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $218.94.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. On average, analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is presently 30.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on RL shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $257.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Raymond James downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.15.

About Ralph Lauren

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.