GAP (NYSE:GAP) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of GAP (NYSE:GAP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W upgraded GAP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on GAP from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on shares of GAP and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on GAP from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on GAP from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.86.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GAP opened at $26.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 2.28. GAP has a 12-month low of $16.99 and a 12-month high of $29.29. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.69.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. GAP had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 24.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

GAP Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 7th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 7th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie Gruber sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $840,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 37,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,060. The trade was a 44.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $81,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,110. The trade was a 75.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,349,044 shares of company stock worth $36,857,065. Corporate insiders own 31.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new position in GAP in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,207,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at $63,674,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at $3,532,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of GAP during the 1st quarter valued at $856,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of GAP by 101.0% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,184,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

GAP Company Profile

Gap Inc is a global specialty retailer renowned for its portfolio of apparel and accessories brands, including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. The company designs, sources and markets clothing across a broad price range and style spectrum, catering to men, women and children. Its offerings extend from everyday wardrobe essentials such as denim, tees and outerwear to performance and lifestyle pieces, reflecting each brand’s distinct identity and price point.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher, Gap Inc has grown into one of the world’s largest apparel companies.