Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Stock

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Free Report) had its target price increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $285.00 to $330.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the textile maker's stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on RL. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Cfra set a $171.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Argus upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.55.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of Ralph Lauren stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $268.83. 783,314 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 782,704. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.49. Ralph Lauren has a twelve month low of $155.96 and a twelve month high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is 30.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Ralph Lauren by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,182 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Ralph Lauren by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,657 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 2,703 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 1,005 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,687 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.