The Gap, Inc. $GAP Stock Acquired by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 511,056 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,903 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in GAP were worth $11,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GAP. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in GAP during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in GAP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in GAP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $73,000. Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in GAP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of GAP in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $109,000. 58.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GAP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on GAP in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $23.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price target on GAP from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on GAP from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on GAP from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of GAP in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.07.

GAP Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GAP opened at $21.59 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The Gap, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.11 and a fifty-two week high of $29.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.96. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a PE ratio of 6.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 2.12.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. GAP had a net margin of 8.14% and a return on equity of 19.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. GAP’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. GAP has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Gap, Inc. will post 2.40 EPS for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.1750 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 6th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is 20.90%.

Insider Activity at GAP

In other news, Director William Fisher sold 500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.89, for a total transaction of $11,945,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,903,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,927,400.22. This represents a 3.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Gruber sold 27,538 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $648,795.28. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,876 shares in the company, valued at $727,438.56. The trade was a 47.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 1,027,538 shares of company stock valued at $24,249,556 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 31.00% of the company’s stock.

GAP Profile

Gap Inc. is an American specialty retailer of apparel, accessories and related products. Its portfolio includes Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, with merchandise sold through company-operated stores and online channels. Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher, the company serves customers in North America and other markets through its stores, e-commerce operations and franchise partners. Richard Dickson became Gap Inc.’s president and chief executive officer in 2023.