GAP (NYSE:GAP) Stock Price Up 7.8% – What’s Next?

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)’s share price was up 7.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $28.66 and last traded at $28.6850. Approximately 5,515,467 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 31% from the average daily volume of 8,024,967 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on GAP shares. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price objective on GAP and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised GAP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of GAP from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of GAP from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $41.00 in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, GAP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.93.

GAP Trading Up 7.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.03. The stock has a market cap of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 2.31.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. GAP had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 24.91%. The business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Gap, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

GAP Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 7th will be given a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 7th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.46%.

Insider Transactions at GAP

In other GAP news, Director Robert J. Fisher sold 500,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.45, for a total value of $13,725,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,329,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,944,829.90. This trade represents a 17.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William Sydney Fisher sold 400,000 shares of GAP stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.02, for a total value of $10,808,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,853,453 shares in the company, valued at $77,100,300.06. The trade was a 12.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 1,349,044 shares of company stock worth $36,857,065 in the last quarter. 30.56% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in GAP by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 71,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of GAP by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 45,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $980,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in GAP in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new position in GAP in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in GAP by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 226,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,703 shares during the period. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.