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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.94, for a total transaction of $263,027.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,384 shares in the company, valued at $38,668.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $556,140.00.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GPS opened at $27.29 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.71. The Gap, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.22 and a 12-month high of $28.59.

GAP (NYSE:GPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.29. GAP had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 22.56%. The business had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.75) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Gap, Inc. will post 1.36 EPS for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GPS shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of GAP from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of GAP from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of GAP from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. KGI Securities lifted their price target on shares of GAP from $9.10 to $25.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of GAP from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of GAP by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,906,701 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $30,898,000 after buying an additional 80,792 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in GAP by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 74,080 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $787,000 after purchasing an additional 35,223 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in GAP by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 102,664 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 15,158 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in GAP in the 3rd quarter valued at about $142,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in GAP by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 260,566 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,770,000 after buying an additional 19,923 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

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.