Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GPS - Free Report) by 92.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 59,478 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 28,613 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in GAP were worth $1,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in GAP during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of GAP by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 367,130 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $7,677,000 after purchasing an additional 91,151 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in shares of GAP in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new position in GAP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,000. Finally, United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in GAP during the 4th quarter worth $349,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

GAP Price Performance

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $23.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.78. The Gap, Inc. has a one year low of $9.38 and a one year high of $30.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 2.38.

GAP (NYSE:GPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The apparel retailer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.27. GAP had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 27.57%. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.01 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Gap, Inc. will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of ∞. GAP's dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Daiwa America raised GAP to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on GAP from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of GAP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of GAP from $20.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of GAP from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $21.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.51.

Insider Transactions at GAP

In other news, Director Tracy Gardner sold 2,934 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.48, for a total transaction of $68,890.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,218,635.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Katrina O'connell sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.01, for a total value of $580,200.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy Gardner sold 2,934 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.48, for a total transaction of $68,890.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,901 shares in the company, valued at $1,218,635.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,132 shares of company stock worth $654,003 in the last three months. Insiders own 30.81% of the company's stock.

GAP Company Profile

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.