The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.25.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of GAP in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of GAP from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on GAP from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Activity at GAP

In related news, insider Sarah Gilligan sold 29,813 shares of GAP stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.34, for a total transaction of $606,396.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,634 shares in the company, valued at $53,575.56. This trade represents a 91.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Horacio Barbeito sold 40,764 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.07, for a total transaction of $818,133.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 308 shares in the company, valued at $6,181.56. This represents a 99.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,495 shares of company stock worth $3,598,459 in the last quarter. 31.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in GAP stock. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 209,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,953,000. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.06% of GAP at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

GAP Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of GAP stock opened at $21.40 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.49. GAP has a 52 week low of $18.54 and a 52 week high of $26.41. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.18. GAP had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 5.40%. The company had revenue of $4.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. Analysts predict that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GAP Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is a positive change from GAP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.86%.

GAP Company Profile

Gap, Inc operates as a global apparel retail company, which offers clothing, apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children. The firm operates through the following segments: Gap Global, Old Navy Global, Banana Republic Global, Athleta, and Other. The Gap Global segment includes apparel and accessories for men and women under the Gap brand, along with the GapKids, BabyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody, and GapFit collections.