Guess? (NYSE:GES) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Guess? stock has surpassed its 200-day moving average, currently trading at $16.77 following a peak of $16.81.
• UBS Group and Telsey Advisory Group have updated their price targets for Guess? to $16.75, maintaining a "neutral" rating amid a general consensus to hold the stock.
• Despite a quarterly earnings report exceeding expectations with $0.26 EPS, Guess? has a high payout ratio of 562.50% after declaring a dividend of $0.225 per share.

Shares of Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $12.54 and traded as high as $16.81. Guess? shares last traded at $16.77, with a volume of 1,105,052 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Small Cap Consu lowered Guess? from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Guess? from $13.00 to $16.75 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $16.75 target price on shares of Guess? in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $16.75.

Guess? Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $875.20 million, a P/E ratio of 105.04 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $14.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.61.

Guess? (NYSE:GES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.10. Guess? had a net margin of 1.01% and a return on equity of 16.44%. The business had revenue of $772.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $758.72 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.42 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Guess?, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Guess? Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. Guess?'s payout ratio is 562.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guess?

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Guess? during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,243,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Guess? by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 28,835 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 5,470 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Guess? by 8,899.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 25,649 shares of the company's stock worth $2,840,000 after purchasing an additional 25,364 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Guess? by 9,137.0% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guess? during the first quarter valued at $5,834,000. 61.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Guess?

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.