GAP (NYSE:GAP) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

Zacks Research lowered shares of GAP (NYSE:GAP) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on GAP. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price objective on GAP and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Telsey Advisory Group raised shares of GAP from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $26.00 to $32.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of GAP from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of GAP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $22.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $30.00 target price on shares of GAP and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.38.

GAP Price Performance

NYSE GAP traded up $0.76 on Monday, reaching $29.10. The company had a trading volume of 385,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,566,501. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.82 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 2.32. GAP has a 12 month low of $16.99 and a 12 month high of $29.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.78.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. GAP had a return on equity of 24.91% and a net margin of 5.57%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that GAP will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 7th were paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 7th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. GAP’s payout ratio is currently 29.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other GAP news, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.11, for a total value of $81,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,110. This trade represents a 75.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William Sydney Fisher sold 11,140 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.81, for a total value of $298,663.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,753,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,820,074.93. This trade represents a 0.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,349,044 shares of company stock worth $36,857,065 over the last three months. 31.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in shares of GAP by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 71,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of GAP by 1.3% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 45,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $980,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of GAP during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GAP in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in GAP during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. 58.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About GAP

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.