394,612 Shares in The Gap, Inc. $GAP Purchased by Man Group plc

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 394,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,371,000. Man Group plc owned 0.11% of GAP as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of GAP in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $428,824,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of GAP by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,588,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,154,000 after acquiring an additional 180,991 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in GAP by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,291,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,750,000 after acquiring an additional 14,141 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in GAP by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,462,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,645,000 after acquiring an additional 121,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in GAP by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,195,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,816,000 after acquiring an additional 368,191 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.81% of the company’s stock.

More GAP News

Here are the key news stories impacting GAP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat expectations: Adjusted EPS was $0.52, exceeding the $0.48 consensus estimate. Gross margin expanded 20 basis points to 41.4%, helping Gap outperform operating-profit expectations despite weaker sales. Gap names Michael Francis Old Navy CEO as quarterly profit beats estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profit outlook raised: The company now expects fiscal 2026 EPS of $2.35 to $2.45, above the roughly $2.33 analyst consensus. Management cited continued momentum at the Gap brand, margin discipline and strength at Banana Republic. Gap lifts annual profit forecast on strength of namesake brand
• Positive Sentiment: Old Navy leadership reset: Michael Francis, a retail veteran with experience at Walmart and Target, will become Old Navy’s president and CEO on November 2, replacing Haio Barbeito. Investors appear hopeful that Francis can improve the company’s largest brand. Gap shares jump after Old Navy brings in new CEO to revive brand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: TD Cowen and BTIG raised their price targets to $27 and assigned “buy” ratings. Bank of America also raised its target to $27, while Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $23 but retained an “equal weight” rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sales remained soft: Second-quarter revenue fell 2% year over year to $3.65 billion, below the $3.69 billion consensus, while comparable sales declined 1%. Full-year revenue guidance of about $15.6 billion is slightly below analyst expectations. Gap Inc. Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Brand performance was uneven: Old Navy reported sluggish comparable sales, and Athleta continued to face pressure. The need for a leadership change underscores execution risks even as Gap and Banana Republic show stronger momentum.

GAP Stock Performance

Shares of GAP stock opened at $23.48 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $20.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.87. The Gap, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.11 and a 52 week high of $29.36. The company has a market capitalization of $8.45 billion, a PE ratio of 7.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 2.05.

GAP (NYSE:GAP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. GAP had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 8.14%.The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. GAP’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. GAP has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.450 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Gap, Inc. will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

GAP Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 7th will be given a dividend of $0.175 per share. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 7th. GAP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of GAP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays increased their price target on GAP from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore set a $20.00 price target on GAP and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective (down from $35.00) on shares of GAP in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.21.

GAP Company Profile

Gap Inc is a global specialty retailer renowned for its portfolio of apparel and accessories brands, including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. The company designs, sources and markets clothing across a broad price range and style spectrum, catering to men, women and children. Its offerings extend from everyday wardrobe essentials such as denim, tees and outerwear to performance and lifestyle pieces, reflecting each brand’s distinct identity and price point.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher, Gap Inc has grown into one of the world’s largest apparel companies.