# Ralph Lauren Corporation (RL) — Stock CV

Ralph Lauren Corporation is a $22.1B consumer company. Revenue grew 14.7% over the last year, it keeps 12¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~0.9 years of free cash flow. It trades at 22.5× earnings — in the most expensive third of its own history.

> Founded by designer Ralph Lauren (current executive chair and chief creative officer) in 1967 in New York City, Ralph Lauren Corp. designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle merchandise in North America (41% of fiscal 2026 sales), Europe (31%), and Asia (26%).

## Identity

- **Ticker**: RL
- **Sector**: Consumer Cyclical
- **Industry**: Men'S & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments
- **Headquarters**: NEW YORK, NY
- **Employees**: 23 600
- **Website**: https://www.ralphlauren.com
- **Market cap**: $22.1B
- **Last price**: $371.28
- **Financial profile**: Strong

## Vitals (TTM)

- **Revenue**: $8.36B
- **Net income**: $983M
- **Free cash flow**: $1.04B
- **Net debt**: $944M
- **P/E**: 22.5
- **Revenue growth (YoY)**: 14.7%

## Skills (profile scores, 0–100)

| Pillar | Score |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 49 |
| Growth | 52 |
| Profitability | 82 |
| Health | 87 |
| Quality | 87 |
| Moat | 75 |

## Qualifications (beginner checklist) — 11 of 11 passed

- [x] Revenue growing — +14.7% YoY
- [x] Profitable — $983M TTM
- [x] Profit growing — +25.9% YoY
- [x] Generates cash — $1.04B TTM
- [x] Debt under control — ~0.9y of cash flow to repay
- [x] Established company — $22.1B market cap
- [x] Not printing shares — -15.2% shares over ~5y
- [x] Proven track record — 9/11 profitable years
- [x] Financially stable — Altman Z 5.0 — safe
- [x] Pays a dividend — yield 1.00%
- [x] Valuation not extreme — P/E 22.5

## Experience (career milestones)

- **FY2026** — Best year on record: $941M net income
- **FY2024** — Became debt-free: cash now exceeds total debt
- **2023** — Ralph Lauren launched an artist in residence program for artisans to work with their design teams…
- **FY2016** — First recorded profitable year: $396M net income
- **FY2016** — Revenue already above $1B: $7.41B in first reported year
- **FY2016** — Positive free cash flow every year since: 11-year streak
- **2007** — Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the website was relaunched as ralphlauren.com
- **2000** — The company launched its website and online shop in 2000 as polo.com by RL Media (a cooperation between Ralph Lauren…
- **Jun 12, 1997** — The company became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange
- **1978** — The first Ralph Lauren fragrances, produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd were launched at Bloomingdale's
- **1977** — Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh polo shirt in various colors, featuring the polo…
- **1972** — The year 1972 marked the opening of Ralph Lauren's store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, his first…
- **1972** — Lauren released a short-sleeve cotton shirt in 24 colors
- **1971** — Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, introducing the Polo player emblem…
- **1967** — Ralph Lauren Corporation is a publicly traded American fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1967 by American…

## Strengths

- High gross margin (70.3%)
- Revenue growing 14.7% year over year
- Could repay net debt from ~1.0 years of free cash flow
- Interest covered 589.9× by operating earnings
- High returns on invested capital (ROIC 26.0%)

## Watch-outs

- Loss-making in 2 of the recent years

## Track record

| Year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | $6.22B | $600M | $549M |
| FY2023 | $6.44B | $523M | $194M |
| FY2024 | $6.63B | $646M | $905M |
| FY2025 | $7.08B | $743M | $1.02B |
| FY2026 | $8.11B | $941M | $746M |

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Source: https://stockcv.com/RL — derived from company filings; may be delayed or incomplete. Information, not investment advice.