The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $26.51.

Several analysts recently weighed in on GPS shares. Barclays raised their price objective on GAP from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on GAP from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of GAP from $22.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of GAP from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $27.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of GAP from $20.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st.

Insider Transactions at GAP

In related news, Director Tracy Gardner sold 2,934 shares of GAP stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.48, for a total value of $68,890.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,218,635.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 30.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in GAP in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of GAP by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 367,130 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $7,677,000 after purchasing an additional 91,151 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in shares of GAP during the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in GAP in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Finally, United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in GAP in the fourth quarter valued at about $349,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

GAP Stock Performance

GAP stock opened at $24.55 on Friday. GAP has a fifty-two week low of $9.38 and a fifty-two week high of $30.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 2.38.

GAP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

About GAP

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 adult apparel and accessories; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.