Utah Retirement Systems Sells 100 Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Utah Retirement Systems cut its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,559 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $1,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RL. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 137.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,849 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 24.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,545 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $17,425,000 after purchasing an additional 16,575 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 8,781 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,999 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $12,601,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 333.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 351 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $232.56 on Friday. Ralph Lauren Co. has a twelve month low of $155.96 and a twelve month high of $289.33. The stock has a market cap of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $221.28 and its 200-day moving average is $229.15.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ralph Lauren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $240.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.14.

Ralph Lauren 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.