Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $354.70, but opened at $325.48. Ralph Lauren shares last traded at $329.8060, with a volume of 789,459 shares trading hands.

Trending Headlines about Ralph Lauren

Here are the key news stories impacting Ralph Lauren this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ralph Lauren reported fiscal Q3 EPS of $6.22 and revenue of $2.41B, both above Wall Street estimates — the quarter showed 12.2% revenue growth and margin expansion, which underpins the bullish case. Earnings Release & Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full?year outlook after strong holiday demand (Polo, leather handbags cited) — a positive signal for revenue and operating?margin recovery over the year. Reuters: Sales Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: BTIG lifted its price target to $435 (buy), and Telsey reaffirmed Outperform with a $435 target — these upgrades/reaffirms add upward pressure on the stock. BTIG / The Fly
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage: Evercore and others remain bullish/reiterate buys, and the company held its earnings call (transcript available) — ongoing analyst attention supports liquidity and investor interest. Evercore / Globe & Mail
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcript are out for deeper review — useful for investors parsing margin drivers, channel trends and international performance. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Ralph Lauren warned of Q4 margin pressure tied to U.S. tariffs; that outlook drove an initial sell?off in the stock despite the beat and is the main downside catalyst investors are judging. Yahoo Finance: Tariff Margin Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares briefly fell (reports of an early ~7% drop in intraday trading) as markets focused on near?term margin risk even as the company raised its annual guidance. Proactive Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its price target from $425 to $410 (still a buy) — a modest downward revision that slightly offsets some of the positive analyst action. Benzinga: Jefferies PT Cut

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on RL shares. Evercore set a $420.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a research note on Friday. BTIG Research increased their target price on Ralph Lauren from $400.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $422.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $390.06.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $20.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $330.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The textile maker reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 37.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.82 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Corporation will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $0.9125 dividend. This represents a $3.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Ralph Lauren’s payout ratio is 26.98%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RL. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ralph Lauren in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Ralph Lauren by 1,228.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 93 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in Ralph Lauren by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 100 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ralph Lauren during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 67.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is a global designer, marketer and distributor of premium lifestyle products under the Ralph Lauren name and a portfolio of related brands. The company, founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and headquartered in New York City, has grown from a single line of men’s neckties into a global lifestyle business that spans apparel, accessories and home goods.

Ralph Lauren’s product assortment includes menswear, womenswear and childrenswear along with footwear, leather goods, eyewear, fragrances and home furnishings.