The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) Receives $26.51 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.51.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of GAP from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $27.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on GAP from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of GAP from $22.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of GAP from $17.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of GAP from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $21.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th.

GAP Price Performance

Shares of GAP stock opened at $24.55 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.33 and a 200 day moving average of $22.78. GAP has a 52 week low of $9.38 and a 52 week high of $30.75. The company has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 2.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The apparel retailer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.27. GAP had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 27.57%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.01 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that GAP will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. GAP’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Insider Transactions at GAP

In related news, Director Tracy Gardner sold 2,934 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.48, for a total value of $68,890.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,901 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,218,635.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 30.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of GAP by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,157 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of GAP by 37.2% during the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,965 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in GAP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC lifted its holdings in GAP by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC now owns 33,597 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in GAP by 4,441.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 4,950 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 4,841 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

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.