KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,500 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $2,201,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 70.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,436 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,411,000 after purchasing an additional 5,133 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Ralph Lauren by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,465 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,294,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 81.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 121,139 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $23,485,000 after buying an additional 54,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $86,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Shares of RL opened at $224.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $13.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $251.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.48. Ralph Lauren Co. has a twelve month low of $155.96 and a twelve month high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. As a group, research analysts expect that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on RL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Ralph Lauren from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $280.00 to $286.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $332.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.62.

Ralph Lauren 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.