Zacks Research Upgrades GAP (NYSE:GAP) to Hold

GAP (NYSE:GAP) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on GAP. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on GAP from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on GAP from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $22.00 price target on GAP in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $22.00 price target (down previously from $30.00) on shares of GAP in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on GAP from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.75.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GAP stock opened at $22.21 on Monday. GAP has a 52 week low of $16.99 and a 52 week high of $29.29. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.93. The firm has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 2.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.02. GAP had a return on equity of 27.04% and a net margin of 5.86%.The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. GAP has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts forecast that GAP will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at GAP

In related news, Director Robert J. Fisher sold 500,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.90, for a total value of $11,450,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,829,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,795,595.80. The trade was a 15.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William Sydney Fisher sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.86, for a total value of $4,772,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,253,453 shares in the company, valued at $77,627,388.58. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 943,064 shares of company stock worth $22,011,784 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 31.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GAP

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in GAP during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in GAP by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 226,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,703 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in GAP by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 71,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 3,269 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in GAP during the 1st quarter worth about $75,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in GAP during the 1st quarter worth about $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

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.