Ralph Lauren Stands Out on Slow Day for the Entrepreneur Index™ The branded clothing maker gained nearly 6 percent over the last two days after a Wells Fargo analyst called the company a 'rare standout.'

By Andrew Osterland

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Gary Hershorn | Getty Images

Ralph Lauren Corp., still basking in the glow of a good recommendation from Wall Street, was up 3.24 percent today -- the biggest gain on the Entrepreneur Index™. Analyst Ike Bochurow upgraded the stock to outperform and suggested that growth in China, Europe and online sales will help the company grow top-line revenues while it improves margins. The stock is up 25.5 percent this year.

The Entrepreneur Index™ closed the day up 0.45 percent. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indexes had gains of 0.36 percent, 0.36 percent and 0.34 percent respectively.

Ford Motor Co. had the second biggest gain on the Entrepreneur Index™, rising 1.74 percent. The automaker's stock has been mired between $8 and $9 this year, though it's 15 percent return in the year to date is better than the S&P 500 index, (12.3 percent).

Tesla maintained its momentum today, rising 1.38 percent. The stock is on a three-day win streak after a horrible first three months of the year. The stock is down 16.3 percent in the year to date.

The technology sector was quiet with most of the thirteen stocks on the Entrepreneur Index™ posting small gains. Twitter, (1.83 percent), was the only one to rise more than one percent and Analog Devices, down 0.85 percent, had the biggest loss.

Other notable gains today included:

Only three stocks on the Entrepreneur Index™ had declines of one percent or more:

Barring a very bad day tomorrow, the stock market is about to finish its best first quarter in twenty-one years. The Entrepreneur Index™ is up 13.4 percent so far, while the S&P 500 index has gained 12.3 percent. With the economy slowing, a trade deal between the U.S. and China may help the market retest the highs it set last fall. Many, however, believe a deal is already priced into the market. Talks between the two countries resumed today in Beijing.

The Entrepreneur Index™ collects the top 60 publicly traded companies founded and run by entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial spirit is a valuable asset for any business, and this index recognizes its importance, no matter how much a company has grown. These inspirational businesses can be tracked in real time on Entrepreneur.com.

Andrew Osterland is a contributing writer for CNBC.com. He specializes in capital markets, personal finance and taxes.

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