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

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Free Report) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $332.00 to $348.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the textile maker's stock.

RL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Raymond James cut shares of Ralph Lauren from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Argus upgraded Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Barclays upped their target price 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. Cfra set a $171.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.55.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RL traded up $2.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $270.92. 335,280 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,313. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.49. The company's 50 day moving average is $239.70 and its 200 day moving average is $207.17. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year 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 1.18.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is 30.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of RL. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth $94,831,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,139,975 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $221,007,000 after buying an additional 137,631 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth about $19,320,000. Atreides Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atreides Management LP now owns 377,481 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $73,182,000 after acquiring an additional 83,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 10.2% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 839,296 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $162,714,000 after acquiring an additional 78,008 shares during the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.