Polo Ralph Lauren and Unilever to Open Near 52-Week Highs

Having recovered from the recent market volatility, Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE:

) and Unilever (NYSE:

) reached new 52-week highs of $141.71 and $33.74 per share, respectively, in yesterday's trading session.

easily beat EPS estimates for the most recent quarter, bought back shares and offered a strong outlook for revenue for the current quarter, as well as an operating margin outlook below the consensus. The New York-based company designs and markets apparel and accessories, as well as housewares, that can be found in department stores and online. This S&P 500 member has a market cap of $12.6 billion. The long-term earnings per share growth forecast is 13.4% and the return on equity is 20.5%. Its dividend yield is 0.6%. The P/E ratio and the PEG ratio are higher than the industry average, though. Shares are trading more than 24% higher than at the beginning of the year. The stock has outperformed competitor Liz Claiborne (NYSE:

), as well as the broader markets, year to date.

's CEO recently stated that emerging markets will make up three-quarters of its sales within a decade. Both profits and sales rose in the second quarter despite pressure on margins from rising materials costs. Unilever PLC is a subsidiary of London-based Unilever Group. Among its many offerings are Ragu, Wish-Bone, Popsicle, Lipton, Slim Fast, Dove and Vaseline. The consumer goods giant has a market cap of $96.0 billion. Unilever has a long-term EPS growth forecast of 10.8%. Its dividend yield is 3.6% and its return on equity is 32.1%. It also has P/E and PEG ratios higher than the industry average. Shares are trading more than 12% higher year to date. Over that time, the stock has outperformed competitor Procter & Gamble (NYSE:

) and the broader markets.

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