The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.1538.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GAP shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on GAP from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group raised GAP from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $26.00 to $32.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price objective on GAP and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on GAP from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at GAP

In other news, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total transaction of $81,330.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,110. This represents a 75.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director William Sydney Fisher sold 11,140 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.81, for a total value of $298,663.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,753,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,820,074.93. This trade represents a 0.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,349,044 shares of company stock worth $36,857,065. 31.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GAP. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in GAP by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 71,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in GAP by 1.3% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 45,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $980,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of GAP in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of GAP by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $890,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GAP in the third quarter worth $35,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GAP stock opened at $26.13 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 2.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.72. GAP has a one year low of $16.99 and a one year high of $29.29. The company’s 50-day moving average is $26.28 and its 200 day moving average is $23.37.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. GAP had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 24.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 7th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 7th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.46%.

About GAP

Gap Inc is a global specialty retailer renowned for its portfolio of apparel and accessories brands, including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. The company designs, sources and markets clothing across a broad price range and style spectrum, catering to men, women and children. Its offerings extend from everyday wardrobe essentials such as denim, tees and outerwear to performance and lifestyle pieces, reflecting each brand’s distinct identity and price point.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher, Gap Inc has grown into one of the world’s largest apparel companies.