Zacks: Analysts Anticipate The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) to Announce $0.05 Earnings Per Share

Analysts expect The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS – Get Rating) to post $0.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Six analysts have issued estimates for GAP’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $0.19 and the lowest is ($0.20). GAP posted earnings per share of $0.48 during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a negative year-over-year growth rate of 89.6%. The company is scheduled to announce its next earnings results on Monday, January 1st.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that GAP will report full-year earnings of $1.90 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.59 to $2.04. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the firm will report earnings of $2.08 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.90 to $2.74. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover GAP.

GAP (NYSE:GPS – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.12. GAP had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 1.54%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of GAP from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 14th. Bank of America lowered shares of GAP from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on GAP in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on GAP from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of GAP from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GAP currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.25.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in GAP during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its position in shares of GAP by 270.0% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd bought a new stake in GAP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in GAP by 111.5% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 2,474 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in GAP in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $94,000. Institutional investors own 58.29% of the company’s stock.

Shares of GPS traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.37. The stock had a trading volume of 297,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,414,088. GAP has a 52 week low of $12.78 and a 52 week high of $37.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.96.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a positive change from GAP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 5th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.91%.

GAP Company Profile (Get Rating)

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 denim, tees, fleece, and khakis; eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and fragrances; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.

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