Guess? (NYSE:GES) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

Shares of Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 852,507 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 75% from the previous session’s volume of 486,270 shares.The stock last traded at $16.8050 and had previously closed at $16.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on GES. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Guess? from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $16.75 price objective on shares of Guess? in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guess? in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Guess? presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.75.

Guess? Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $16.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $875.86 million, a P/E ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 0.96.

Guess? (NYSE:GES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Guess? had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 2.56%.The firm had revenue of $791.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.93 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Guess?, Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Guess? Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Guess?’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.08%.

Institutional Trading of Guess?

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Guess? during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Guess? in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Guess? by 193.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 4,492 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guess? in the third quarter worth approximately $110,000. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Guess? by 9.5% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 6,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.74% of the company’s stock.

About Guess?

Guess?, Inc is a global fashion brand known for its lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. The company designs, markets and distributes a portfolio of apparel products under various brands, including its flagship Guess line and the premium Marciano label. Through its vertically integrated business model, Guess? oversees product development, manufacturing arrangements, marketing and distribution across wholesale and retail channels.

Guess?’s product offerings span denim, ready-to-wear, handbags, watches, jewelry and footwear for men, women and children.