Franklin Resources Inc. Has $17.43 Million Stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 24.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,545 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,575 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $17,425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in RL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Ralph Lauren by 161.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 1,789 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 6.0% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,752 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ralph Lauren in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren during the second quarter worth about $2,097,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Ralph Lauren by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RL. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com raised Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Cfra set a $171.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.90.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Shares of RL stock opened at $230.28 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $213.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.64. The company has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Ralph Lauren Co. has a twelve month low of $134.90 and a twelve month high of $237.16.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 29.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is presently 31.46%.

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.