Empowered Funds LLC Increases Holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 241.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 8,644 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 13.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 3.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 949,512 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $183,787,000 after purchasing an additional 30,694 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 10.2% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 839,296 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $162,714,000 after purchasing an additional 78,008 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.2% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 520,393 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $100,889,000 after buying an additional 60,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 492,787 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $95,537,000 after buying an additional 13,640 shares in the last quarter. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE RL opened at $278.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $242.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.85. The company has a market capitalization of $17.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 52 week low of $155.96 and a 52 week high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 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, equities research analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on RL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Ralph Lauren from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.33.

Ralph Lauren Profile

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.