Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, a growth of 26.6% from the February 28th total of 1,920,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 858,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 6.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 5.6 %

Ralph Lauren stock traded down $11.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $186.85. The company had a trading volume of 481,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,465. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The firm's fifty day moving average is $248.77 and its 200-day moving average is $227.04. Ralph Lauren has a fifty-two week low of $155.96 and a fifty-two week high of $289.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

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

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Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on RL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upgraded 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. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ralph Lauren currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $284.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Burney Co. bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at $5,711,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter worth about $3,014,000. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 195,208 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $47,444,000 after buying an additional 14,889 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,264,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,819,000. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

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.