Algert Global LLC Boosts Stake in Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES)

Algert Global LLC raised its holdings in Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,903 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,435 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Guess? worth $1,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GES. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Guess? by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,274,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,040,000 after purchasing an additional 231,926 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Guess? during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,349,000. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guess? in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,191,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Guess? by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,383,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,447,000 after purchasing an additional 167,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tieton Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Guess? by 95.6% during the fourth quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC now owns 463,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,520,000 after purchasing an additional 226,705 shares during the period. 61.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GES shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Guess? from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 price target on shares of Guess? in a research note on Friday, April 4th.

Guess? Stock Performance

Shares of GES stock opened at $11.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $595.62 million, a P/E ratio of 9.66 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.22. Guess?, Inc. has a one year low of $8.48 and a one year high of $27.41.

Guess? (NYSE:GES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $932.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $916.75 million. Guess? had a return on equity of 23.29% and a net margin of 3.19%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Guess?, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Guess? Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.44%. Guess?’s dividend payout ratio is presently 187.50%.

Guess? announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 25th that allows the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 38.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Guess? Profile

Guess?, Inc designs, markets, distributes, and licenses lifestyle collections of apparel and accessories for men, women, and children. It operates through five segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The company’s clothing collection includes jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, blouses, shirts, jackets, activewear, knitwear, and intimate apparel.