Alpine Associates Management Inc. Makes New $5.77 Million Investment in Guess?, Inc. $GES

Alpine Associates Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 345,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,772,000. Alpine Associates Management Inc. owned 0.66% of Guess? as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GES. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Guess? in the 2nd quarter valued at $362,000. Corton Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Guess? during the second quarter valued at $317,000. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Guess? in the second quarter valued at $1,769,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Guess? by 180.3% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 42,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in Guess? by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 45,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 18,300 shares during the period. 61.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Guess? Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE GES opened at $16.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $877.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Guess?, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.48 and a 52-week high of $17.15.

Guess? (NYSE:GES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Guess? had a net margin of 2.56% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $791.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.93 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 EPS. Guess?’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Guess?, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Guess? Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Guess?’s payout ratio is currently 81.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GES has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.75 price objective on shares of Guess? in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guess? in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Guess? from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Guess? has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.75.

Guess? Company Profile

Guess?, Inc is a global fashion brand known for its lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. The company designs, markets and distributes a portfolio of apparel products under various brands, including its flagship Guess line and the premium Marciano label. Through its vertically integrated business model, Guess? oversees product development, manufacturing arrangements, marketing and distribution across wholesale and retail channels.

Guess?’s product offerings span denim, ready-to-wear, handbags, watches, jewelry and footwear for men, women and children.