Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

RL has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $139.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 11th. TheStreet raised Ralph Lauren from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Ralph Lauren from $150.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 11th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Friday, August 11th. Finally, OTR Global upgraded Ralph Lauren to a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $134.00.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Ralph Lauren

NYSE RL opened at $112.49 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.18. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $82.23 and a one year high of $135.76.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 10th. The textile maker reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.19. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 24.97% and a net margin of 8.24%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, CEO Patrice Louvet sold 9,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $1,159,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,060 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,132,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 39.09% of the company's stock.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,927,941 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $559,026,000 after buying an additional 37,574 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,333,095 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $352,208,000 after acquiring an additional 13,004 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 27.9% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,210,781 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $395,889,000 after acquiring an additional 700,948 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,869,737 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $231,884,000 after purchasing an additional 44,713 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1.1% in the first quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,549,294 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $180,756,000 after purchasing an additional 16,575 shares in the last quarter. 73.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, and giftware; and fragrances.

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