Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES - Free Report) by 64.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,380 shares of the company's stock after selling 81,689 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.09% of Guess? worth $638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EMC Capital Management boosted its holdings in Guess? by 158.0% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 9,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6,068 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Guess? in the 4th quarter valued at about $171,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guess? in the 4th quarter valued at about $191,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Guess? by 109.6% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 14,291 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after buying an additional 7,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Guess? during the fourth quarter worth about $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.74% of the company's stock.

Guess? Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GES traded up $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $11.29. 97,186 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,224,830. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Guess?, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.48 and a fifty-two week high of $24.64. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.71. The firm has a market cap of $587.20 million, a PE ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 1.25.

Guess? (NYSE:GES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $932.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $916.75 million. Guess? had a return on equity of 23.29% and a net margin of 3.19%. Guess?'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Guess?, Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Guess? announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 38.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Guess? Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.63%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 16th. Guess?'s dividend payout ratio is presently 187.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GES has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Guess? from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Guess? in a report on Friday, April 4th.

Guess? Company Profile

Guess?, Inc designs, markets, distributes, and licenses lifestyle collections of apparel and accessories for men, women, and children. It operates through five segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The company's clothing collection includes jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, blouses, shirts, jackets, activewear, knitwear, and intimate apparel.