State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 1,621 Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,224 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 1,621 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 38.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 533 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 4.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 64,743 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $12,552,000 after acquiring an additional 2,912 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $255,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 66.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 612 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 177,157.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,408 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $2,406,000 after purchasing an additional 12,401 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of RL traded down $8.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $277.92. 859,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 768,522. 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 firm has a market cap of $17.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.49. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $247.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $212.78. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 12-month low of $155.96 and a 12-month high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Ralph Lauren's payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of Ralph Lauren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Argus upgraded Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $257.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.15.

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.