Sentry Investment Management LLC Buys 89 Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 178.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 139 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $31,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 22,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd now owns 226 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 74.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:RL opened at $274.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $238.80 and its 200-day moving average is $240.17. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 1 year low of $155.96 and a 1 year high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This is an increase from Ralph Lauren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 31.44%.

Ralph Lauren declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the textile maker to repurchase up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on RL. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $328.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ralph Lauren from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.88.

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.