Financial Review: Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) & GAP (NYSE:GAP)

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANFGet Free Report) and GAP (NYSE:GAPGet Free Report) are both mid-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Abercrombie & Fitch and GAP’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Abercrombie & Fitch 10.76% 47.35% 16.88%
GAP 5.05% 28.89% 6.92%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Abercrombie & Fitch and GAP, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Abercrombie & Fitch 0 3 4 0 2.57
GAP 0 3 0 0 2.00

Abercrombie & Fitch currently has a consensus price target of $176.71, indicating a potential upside of 34.63%. GAP has a consensus price target of $27.00, indicating a potential upside of 30.18%. Given Abercrombie & Fitch’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Abercrombie & Fitch is more favorable than GAP.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

58.8% of GAP shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Abercrombie & Fitch shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 31.0% of GAP shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Abercrombie & Fitch has a beta of 1.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, GAP has a beta of 2.35, meaning that its stock price is 135% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Abercrombie & Fitch pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. GAP pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Abercrombie & Fitch pays out 8.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. GAP pays out 29.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Abercrombie & Fitch and GAP”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio
Abercrombie & Fitch $4.66 billion 1.44 $328.12 million $9.44 13.90
GAP $14.89 billion 0.52 $502.00 million $2.02 10.27

GAP has higher revenue and earnings than Abercrombie & Fitch. GAP is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Abercrombie & Fitch, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Abercrombie & Fitch beats GAP on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

(Get Free Report)

Abercrombie & Fitch Co., through its subsidiaries, operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks brands. It sells products through its stores, various wholesale. franchise, and licensing arrangements, as well as e-commerce platforms. The company was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in New Albany, Ohio.

About GAP

(Get Free Report)

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 adult apparel and accessories; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls. The company offers its products through company-operated stores, franchise stores, websites, and third-party arrangements. It has franchise agreements to operate Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta stores and websites in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. The Gap, Inc. was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

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