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

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.31.

A number of brokerages recently commented on GAP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of GAP from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of GAP in a report on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on GAP from $32.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on GAP from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

GAP Stock Up 4.9 %

NYSE:GAP opened at $19.13 on Monday. GAP has a 1 year low of $16.99 and a 1 year high of $26.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.34. The stock has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. GAP had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 5.40%. As a group, equities analysts expect that GAP will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. This is a boost from GAP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.86%.

Insider Activity at GAP

In other news, insider Sarah Gilligan sold 29,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.34, for a total value of $606,396.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,575.56. This represents a 91.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,539 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total transaction of $74,460.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,160. This represents a 46.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,495 shares of company stock worth $3,598,459. Insiders own 31.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter worth approximately $91,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in GAP in the 1st quarter valued at $96,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new stake in GAP in the 1st quarter valued at $1,107,000. Polianta Ltd acquired a new position in GAP in the 1st quarter valued at $1,150,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter worth $3,519,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About GAP

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.