Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,000 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Burney Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter valued at $5,711,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 492,787 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $95,537,000 after buying an additional 13,640 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 145.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 59,927 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $11,618,000 after buying an additional 35,550 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,819,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 11,913 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,752,000 after buying an additional 2,880 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.15.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of RL stock opened at $275.17 on Tuesday. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 12 month low of $155.96 and a 12 month high of $289.33. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $17.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $249.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.13.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its 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 net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.11%.

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.