UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for GAP (NYSE:GAP) Stock Price

GAP (NYSE:GAP - Free Report) had its price target decreased by UBS Group from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on GAP. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective (up previously from $22.00) on shares of GAP in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of GAP from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $29.00 price target (up previously from $26.00) on shares of GAP in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $28.47.

GAP Price Performance

NYSE:GAP traded down $5.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $22.42. 58,604,639 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,565,454. The company has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.24. GAP has a 12 month low of $16.99 and a 12 month high of $29.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $22.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.92.

GAP (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.41 billion. GAP had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 29.03%. GAP's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. GAP's payout ratio is currently 29.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other GAP news, CEO Mark Breitbard sold 16,055 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.43, for a total transaction of $328,003.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 123,985 shares in the company, valued at $2,533,013.55. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total transaction of $74,460.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $84,160. This trade represents a 46.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 228,880 shares of company stock worth $4,985,854. Insiders own 31.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of GAP

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter valued at $30,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter valued at $5,065,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter valued at $932,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter valued at $96,000. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the first quarter valued at $81,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.