Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,436 shares of the textile maker's stock after purchasing an additional 5,133 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Ralph Lauren by 1,775.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 225 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 86.6% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 222 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $58,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Cfra set a $171.00 price objective on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.90.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL traded up $2.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $233.41. The company had a trading volume of 973,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 857,561. The firm has a market cap of $14.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.49. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 1-year low of $127.68 and a 1-year high of $237.16. The business's 50 day moving average price is $203.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $184.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 29.44%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 31.46%.

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.