Vanguard Increases Stake in Ralph Lauren Co.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to its latest SEC filing. Vanguard now owns 4,908,575 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 203,495 shares, making up 7.68% of Ralph Lauren’s stock, valued at $921,634,000.

Other institutional investors also made significant changes. Boston Partners boosted its position by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, now owning 1,214,000 shares worth $175,001,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp bought a new position valued at $18,944,000, and Bridgefront Capital LLC increased its holdings by 251.5%, now owning 12,330 shares worth $1,778,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake by 71.9%, now holding 80,043 shares worth $11,542,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. also increased its stake by 11.1%, now holding 63,743 shares worth $11,968,000. Overall, institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

In related news, COO Jane Nielsen sold 67,243 shares of the firm’s stock on May 24th, totaling $11,515,363.75. Nielsen now directly owns 44,591 shares, valued at $7,636,208.75. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing available here. Insiders own 11.50% of the stock.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on Ralph Lauren. TD Cowen raised its target price from $192.00 to $197.00 and gave a “buy” rating. UBS Group boosted its target price from $244.00 to $250.00, also giving a “buy” rating. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage with a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating with a $195.00 price objective. Argus maintained a “hold” rating. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.50.

RL opened at $167.11 on Wednesday, with a market cap of $10.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 1.38, and a beta of 1.51. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 52-week low of $108.60 and a high of $192.03. The 50-day moving average is $176.69, and the 200-day moving average is $170.36. The company’s current ratio is 2.29, quick ratio is 1.68, and debt-to-equity ratio is 0.57.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL – Get Free Report) reported quarterly earnings on May 23rd, with $1.71 EPS, beating consensus estimates of $1.65. The company had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 27.90%. Revenue was $1.57 billion, up 1.8% year-over-year. Analysts expect Ralph Lauren Co. to post 11.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.825 on July 12th, an increase from the previous $0.75 dividend, representing a 1.97% yield. The ex-dividend date was June 28th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is 33.95%.