Guess’ (NYSE:GES) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

Guess’, Inc. (NYSE:GES – Get Rating) shares gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $17.51, but opened at $18.23. Guess’ shares last traded at $17.40, with a volume of 146,347 shares changing hands.

The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $569.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.63 million. Guess’ had a net margin of 4.87% and a return on equity of 29.09%. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.24 earnings per share.

Guess’ Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This is a boost from Guess”s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.38%. Guess”s payout ratio is 47.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GES shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Guess’ in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. Small Cap Consu reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Guess’ in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Guess’ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Guess’ from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Guess’ currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guess’

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GES. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Guess’ by 27.5% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Guess’ by 48.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 7,322 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in Guess’ by 14.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 33,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 4,152 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new position in Guess’ during the first quarter worth about $391,000. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its holdings in Guess’ by 6.0% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 37,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $833,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. 58.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Guess’ Stock Up 8.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 1.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $18.72 and its 200-day moving average is $20.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

About Guess’

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Guess?, Inc engages in designing, marketing, distributing and licensing contemporary apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the American lifestyle and European fashion sensibilities. It operates through the following segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing.