Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys 45,000 Shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 9,000.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 45,500 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,000 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $10,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 86.6% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 222 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 8,933.3% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 271 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ralph Lauren during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RL opened at $216.20 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $254.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. 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 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Ralph Lauren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.15.

Ralph Lauren Company 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.