GAP (NYSE:GAP) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $22.38, but opened at $19.06. GAP shares last traded at $17.43, with a volume of 4,420,129 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GAP shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of GAP in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of GAP from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised shares of GAP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group dropped their target price on GAP from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, GAP currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.25.

GAP Trading Down 18.4 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.52.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.18. GAP had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 29.03%. The company had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. Analysts anticipate that The Gap, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

GAP Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This is a boost from GAP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.86%.

Insider Activity at GAP

In other news, CFO Katrina O’connell sold 80,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.35, for a total value of $1,628,590.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 8,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $168,701.50. The trade was a 90.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark Breitbard sold 16,055 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.43, for a total transaction of $328,003.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 123,985 shares in the company, valued at $2,533,013.55. This represents a 11.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 177,495 shares of company stock valued at $3,598,459. Corporate insiders own 31.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of GAP

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in GAP stock. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 209,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,953,000. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.06% of GAP at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

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.