Gildan Activewear, Inc. (NYSE:GIL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Gildan Activewear, Inc. (NYSE:GIL) (TSE:GIL) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $80.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Gildan Activewear in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Scotiabank restated a “sector outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price objective (up from $65.00) on shares of Gildan Activewear in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Gildan Activewear in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $78.00) on shares of Gildan Activewear in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Gildan Activewear from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Gildan Activewear Price Performance

NYSE:GIL opened at $53.42 on Tuesday. Gildan Activewear has a one year low of $46.55 and a one year high of $73.69. The company has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.73 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $53.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Gildan Activewear (NYSE:GIL) (TSE:GIL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The textile maker reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.61 billion. Gildan Activewear had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 21.03%. Gildan Activewear’s quarterly revenue was up 72.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Gildan Activewear will post 4.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Gildan Activewear Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.249 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Gildan Activewear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 192.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gildan Activewear

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GIL. Islay Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Gildan Activewear in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Gildan Activewear by 3,516.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 434 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Gildan Activewear by 14,833.3% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 448 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Gildan Activewear by 867.9% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 513 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gildan Activewear by 169.0% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 538 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.83% of the company’s stock.

Gildan Activewear Company Profile

Gildan Activewear Inc (NYSE:GIL) is a vertically integrated manufacturer and wholesaler of branded basic apparel, including activewear, socks, hosiery and underwear. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, the company produces a wide range of products such as T-shirts, fleece garments, sport shirts, performance wear, and shapewear under its Gildan, Anvil, Comfort Colors, Gold Toe, Peds and Silks brands. Leveraging its in-house knitting, dyeing, cut-and-sew and finishing operations, Gildan supplies blank apparel to screen printers, promotional product distributors and major retailers around the world.

Since its founding in 1984 by Glenn J.