GAP (NYSE:GPS) Price Target Increased to $25.00 by Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group

GAP (NYSE:GPS) had its price objective lifted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $24.00 to $25.00 in a report released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded GAP from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of GAP from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of GAP from a c rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $18.95.

GAP Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE GPS traded up $0.90 on Thursday, hitting $21.12. The company had a trading volume of 3,214,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,466,563. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. GAP has a 12-month low of $7.22 and a 12-month high of $28.59. The business has a 50 day moving average of $22.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.28.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. GAP had a return on equity of 22.56% and a net margin of 3.37%. GAP’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.75) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that GAP will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. GAP’s payout ratio is 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at GAP

In related news, insider Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of GAP stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $556,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,832. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $556,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,832. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sarah Gilligan sold 29,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.58, for a total value of $664,416.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,318.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 266,723 shares of company stock valued at $6,886,765 in the last three months. Company insiders own 30.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPS. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of GAP by 317.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of GAP during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in shares of GAP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in GAP during the third quarter valued at approximately $142,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of GAP in the fourth quarter worth approximately $197,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About GAP

The Gap, Inc operates as an apparel retail company. The company offers apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. Its products include adult apparel and accessories; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.