Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Short Interest Update

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, an increase of 26.6% from the February 28th total of 1,920,000 shares. Currently, 6.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 858,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralph Lauren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,182 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,657 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 1,005 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

NYSE RL traded up $7.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $236.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,002,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 817,775. Ralph Lauren has a 52 week low of $155.96 and a 52 week high of $289.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.76. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $249.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $227.24.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. Equities research analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $310.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Ralph Lauren from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.62.

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.