Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Buys 1,007 Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 27.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,721 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $1,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burney Co. purchased a new position in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,711,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ralph Lauren by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at about $202,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in Ralph Lauren by 54.7% in the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 8,600 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 3,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren during the fourth quarter valued at about $231,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

RL opened at $240.31 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 12-month low of $134.90 and a 12-month high of $245.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $227.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.49.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The textile maker reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.11. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 29.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.75 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 31.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on RL shares. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Ralph Lauren from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Ralph Lauren from $171.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $208.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Argus raised shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.09.

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.