The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.95.

GPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Cowen lifted their target price on GAP from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on GAP from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on GAP from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $556,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,832. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $556,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,832. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Katrina O’connell sold 45,266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.58, for a total value of $1,022,106.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,057.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 266,723 shares of company stock valued at $6,886,765 in the last quarter. Insiders own 30.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in GAP during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in GAP by 317.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in GAP by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 263,675 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $5,513,000 after purchasing an additional 3,109 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in GAP during the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in GAP by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 41,265 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $863,000 after purchasing an additional 4,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

GAP Trading Up 5.6 %

GAP stock opened at $21.35 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. GAP has a 52 week low of $7.22 and a 52 week high of $28.59. The company has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $22.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.52.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.29. GAP had a return on equity of 22.56% and a net margin of 3.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.75) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that GAP will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

GAP Company Profile

The Gap, Inc operates as an apparel retail company. The company offers apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. Its products include adult apparel and accessories; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.