The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) Insider Julie Gruber Sells 9,414 Shares

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS) insider Julie Gruber sold 9,414 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.94, for a total value of $263,027.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,668.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Julie Gruber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 12th, Julie Gruber sold 24,180 shares of GAP stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $556,140.00.

GAP Price Performance

NYSE GPS traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.29. The stock had a trading volume of 7,482,054 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,670,974. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.04 and its 200 day moving average is $17.71. The Gap, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.22 and a twelve month high of $28.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 2.24.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.29. GAP had a return on equity of 22.56% and a net margin of 3.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.75) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Gap, Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on GAP from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on GAP from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on GAP from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, KGI Securities increased their target price on GAP from $9.10 to $25.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.89.

Institutional Trading of GAP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GAP in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of GAP by 317.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in shares of GAP in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of GAP by 117.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,613 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 2,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of GAP by 208.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 6,923 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 4,678 shares during the last quarter. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About GAP

The Gap, Inc operates as an apparel retail company. The company offers apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. Its products include denim and khakis; eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and fragrances; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.