Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) Short Interest Down 20.4% in December

Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,745,563 shares, a decrease of 20.4% from the November 30th total of 4,704,141 shares. Approximately 10.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 585,658 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 585,658 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.4 days. Approximately 10.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Guess? Price Performance

NYSE GES remained flat at $16.75 during trading on Thursday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 182,707 shares, compared to its average volume of 359,490. Guess? has a fifty-two week low of $8.48 and a fifty-two week high of $17.15. The company has a market capitalization of $873.51 million, a P/E ratio of 15.09 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.91 and its 200 day moving average is $15.55.

Guess? (NYSE:GES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $791.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.93 million. Guess? had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Guess? will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Guess? Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 10th. Guess?’s payout ratio is 81.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GES shares. Zacks Research lowered Guess? from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $16.75 price target on shares of Guess? in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guess? in a research note on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guess?

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Guess? by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 6,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Guess? by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 881 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in Guess? by 4.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 20,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Guess? by 0.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 261,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,364,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Guess? by 9.3% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 14,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. 61.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Guess? Company Profile

Guess?, Inc is a global fashion brand known for its lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. The company designs, markets and distributes a portfolio of apparel products under various brands, including its flagship Guess line and the premium Marciano label. Through its vertically integrated business model, Guess? oversees product development, manufacturing arrangements, marketing and distribution across wholesale and retail channels.

Guess?’s product offerings span denim, ready-to-wear, handbags, watches, jewelry and footwear for men, women and children.