Vestcor Inc Increases Stock Holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Vestcor Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 330.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,305 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $94,831,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,139,975 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $221,007,000 after acquiring an additional 137,631 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter valued at $19,320,000. Atreides Management LP boosted its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 28.3% in the third quarter. Atreides Management LP now owns 377,481 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $73,182,000 after purchasing an additional 83,349 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in Ralph Lauren by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 839,296 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $162,714,000 after purchasing an additional 78,008 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:RL opened at $220.03 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. 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 price is $253.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 30.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $257.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.