Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,582 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $365,000 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 RL. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 86.6% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 222 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 8,933.3% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 271 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 333.3% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $86,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

RL stock opened at $282.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 52-week low of $155.96 and a 52-week high of $289.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $243.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.86. The company has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.49.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RL. Raymond James lowered Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.33.

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.