The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 27,840 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 70% compared to the average daily volume of 16,398 put options.
GAP Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:GAP traded down $0.42 on Monday, hitting $18.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,087,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,964,518. The company has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 2.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.54. GAP has a 12 month low of $16.99 and a 12 month high of $30.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $21.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.52.
GAP (NYSE:GAP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.07 billion. GAP had a return on equity of 29.03% and a net margin of 5.40%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that GAP will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.
GAP Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. This is a boost from GAP's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. GAP's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.86%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, insider Julie Gruber sold 1,537 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.59, for a total value of $30,109.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 37,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $732,568.05. The trade was a 3.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elisabeth B. Donohue sold 3,539 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total transaction of $74,460.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,160. The trade was a 46.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,495 shares of company stock valued at $3,598,459 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 31.00% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP
A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in GAP stock. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 95,610 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,971,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of GAP from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised GAP from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on GAP from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of GAP in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on GAP from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.25.
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About GAP
(
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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.
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