Guess? (NYSE:GES) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Guess? (NYSE:GES) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on GES. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guess? in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.75 price objective on shares of Guess? in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.75.

Guess? Stock Performance

Shares of GES stock opened at $16.84 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $877.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.63. Guess? has a one year low of $8.48 and a one year high of $17.15. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.88 and its 200 day moving average is $15.90.

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

Guess? Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 10th. Guess?’s dividend payout ratio is 81.08%.

Institutional Trading of Guess?

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

About Guess?

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.