Ralph Lauren Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again (RL)

Ralph Lauren Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL ) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q3), Ralph Lauren beat expectations on revenue and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased significantly and GAAP earnings per share expanded.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
Ralph Lauren tallied revenue of $1.81 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for net sales of $1.75 billion. GAAP sales were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.55 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $1.78. The 15 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.66 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.78 for Q3 were 3.5% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.72 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 57.1%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.0%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.4%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.62 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.94.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $6.80 billion. The average EPS estimate is $6.97.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 356 members out of 440 rating the stock outperform, and 84 members rating it underperform. Among 130 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 110 give Ralph Lauren a green thumbs-up, and 20 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Ralph Lauren is outperform, with an average price target of $158.38.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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