The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) Insider Sells $263,027.16 in Stock

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) insider Julie Gruber sold 9,414 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.94, for a total transaction of $263,027.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,668.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Julie Gruber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 12th, Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of GAP stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $556,140.00.

GAP Stock Performance

GPS opened at $27.29 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $21.04 and its 200 day moving average is $17.71. The Gap, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.22 and a 12-month high of $28.59.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.29. GAP had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 22.56%. The business had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.75) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Gap, Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of GAP by 317.5% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of GAP during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of GAP by 117.8% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,613 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 2,495 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of GAP by 12.2% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 8,561 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in GAP in the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on GPS. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of GAP from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. KGI Securities upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $9.10 to $25.20 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, GAP currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.89.

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 denim and khakis; eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and fragrances; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.