Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Stock Rating Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $286.00 price objective on the textile maker's stock, up from their prior price objective of $280.00. The Goldman Sachs Group's target price points to a potential upside of 27.70% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on RL. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James downgraded Ralph Lauren from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.62.

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Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL traded down $1.16 on Tuesday, reaching $223.97. 2,324,267 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 783,288. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $13.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $252.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.89. Ralph Lauren has a 52-week low of $155.96 and a 52-week high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 55.8% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,922 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $284,000. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,563 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 63.1% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,576 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the period. 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.