GMS's (GMS) Equal Weight Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

GMS (NYSE:GMS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating reissued by stock analysts at Stephens in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $95.00 price target on the stock. Stephens' price objective would suggest a potential downside of 3.89% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson raised shares of GMS from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on GMS from $65.00 to $95.20 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $95.00 price target (up previously from $93.00) on shares of GMS in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital cut their price objective on GMS from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of GMS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.58.

GMS Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of GMS opened at $98.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.20 and a beta of 1.62. GMS has a 12 month low of $65.77 and a 12 month high of $105.54. The stock's 50 day moving average is $77.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

GMS (NYSE:GMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 18th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.30 billion. GMS had a net margin of 2.09% and a return on equity of 16.97%. GMS's revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. Analysts predict that GMS will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at GMS

In other GMS news, CEO John C. Turner, Jr. purchased 3,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $70.00 per share, with a total value of $255,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,684,960. This represents a 5.77% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Theron I. Gilliam sold 12,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.46, for a total value of $916,340.04. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,314,504.22. The trade was a 28.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GMS

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in GMS by 246.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 991 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of GMS during the first quarter worth approximately $442,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of GMS by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,143 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in GMS by 1,710.5% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 344 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in GMS by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 49,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,176,000 after purchasing an additional 10,377 shares during the last quarter. 95.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About GMS

GMS Inc distributes wallboard, ceilings, steel framing and complementary construction products in the United States and Canada. The company offers ceilings products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings.

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