The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) Receives $28.47 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.47.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on GAP from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays lifted their target price on GAP from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on GAP from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on GAP from $34.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on GAP from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark Breitbard sold 51,385 shares of GAP stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.00, for a total transaction of $1,387,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 123,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,347,595. The trade was a 29.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 30.56% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in GAP during the first quarter valued at $856,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at about $121,000. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at about $295,000. Amundi purchased a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at about $259,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of GAP in the first quarter valued at about $4,517,000. 58.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GAP Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of GAP stock traded up $0.10 on Friday, reaching $22.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,551,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,808,291. The company has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 2.14. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $23.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.52. GAP has a 52 week low of $16.99 and a 52 week high of $29.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

GAP (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. GAP had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 5.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that GAP will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. GAP's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

About GAP

Gap, Inc operates as a global apparel retail company, which offers clothing, apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children. The firm operates through the following segments: Gap Global, Old Navy Global, Banana Republic Global, Athleta, and Other. The Gap Global segment includes apparel and accessories for men and women under the Gap brand, along with the GapKids, BabyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody, and GapFit collections.