GAP Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:GAP)

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 27,840 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 70% compared to the typical daily volume of 16,398 put options.

GAP Price Performance

NYSE GAP traded down $0.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $18.72. The stock had a trading volume of 15,087,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,964,518. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $7.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.15. GAP has a 52-week low of $16.99 and a 52-week high of $30.75. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.52.

GAP (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.07 billion. GAP had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 29.03%. Equities analysts forecast that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GAP Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is an increase from GAP's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. GAP's payout ratio is currently 29.86%.

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Insider Activity

In other GAP news, insider Sarah Gilligan sold 29,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.34, for a total transaction of $606,396.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,575.56. This represents a 91.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark Breitbard sold 16,055 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.43, for a total transaction of $328,003.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 123,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,533,013.55. The trade was a 11.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,495 shares of company stock worth $3,598,459. Corporate insiders own 31.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GAP

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in GAP stock. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 209,599 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,953,000. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.06% of GAP at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GAP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of GAP in a report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of GAP from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of GAP from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GAP has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.25.

GAP Company Profile

Gap, Inc operates as a global apparel retail company, which offers clothing, apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children. The firm operates through the following segments: Gap Global, Old Navy Global, Banana Republic Global, Athleta, and Other. The Gap Global segment includes apparel and accessories for men and women under the Gap brand, along with the GapKids, BabyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody, and GapFit collections.