GAP (NYSE:GAP) Upgraded by Argus to Strong-Buy Rating

GAP (NYSE:GAP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Argus to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised GAP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of GAP from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group upgraded shares of GAP from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $41.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of GAP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of GAP in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.15.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GAP opened at $27.10 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. GAP has a 52 week low of $16.99 and a 52 week high of $29.29. The stock has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 2.31.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. GAP had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 24.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. On average, analysts expect that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at GAP

In other news, insider Julie Gruber sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $840,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 37,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,060. The trade was a 44.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder John J. Fisher sold 3,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.04, for a total value of $107,375.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 746,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,192,958.24. This represents a 0.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,349,044 shares of company stock valued at $36,857,065. 30.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GAP. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in GAP in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of GAP during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in GAP in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in GAP by 177.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 4,483 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in GAP by 1,228.1% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 7,025 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

GAP Company Profile

Gap Inc is a global specialty retailer renowned for its portfolio of apparel and accessories brands, including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. The company designs, sources and markets clothing across a broad price range and style spectrum, catering to men, women and children. Its offerings extend from everyday wardrobe essentials such as denim, tees and outerwear to performance and lifestyle pieces, reflecting each brand’s distinct identity and price point.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher, Gap Inc has grown into one of the world’s largest apparel companies.