Guess’ (NYSE:GES) Shares Gap Down to $21.27

Guess’, Inc. (NYSE:GES – Get Rating) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $21.27, but opened at $19.00. Guess’ shares last traded at $19.89, with a volume of 461,957 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GES has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Guess’ in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Guess’ in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Guess’ from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Guess’ Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 1.87. The company’s 50 day moving average is $22.08 and its 200-day moving average is $19.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15.

Guess’ (NYSE:GES – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 14th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.44. Guess’ had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 27.89%. The business had revenue of $817.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $772.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. Guess”s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Guess’, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Guess’ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 29th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 28th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.48%. Guess”s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.65%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guess’

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Guess’ by 27.5% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Guess’ by 48.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 7,322 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in shares of Guess’ by 14.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 33,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 4,152 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. bought a new position in shares of Guess’ during the first quarter worth approximately $391,000. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its holdings in shares of Guess’ by 6.0% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 37,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $833,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares during the period. 58.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Guess’

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Guess?, Inc engages in designing, marketing, distributing and licensing of contemporary apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the American lifestyle and European fashion sensibilities. It operates through the following segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing.