October 3, 2024
Top 10 Stock Gap Strong Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Gap – Top 10 Stock in S&P 500 Index
Gap is listed as a top 10 stock on October 03, 2024 in the market index S&P 500 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 100 (top 100% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Gap on October 03, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Apparel Retail |
| Index | Dividends USA, Diversity USA, Human Rights, S&P US Luxury, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Gap Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 87 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 91 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 67 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 85 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Gap are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for Gap. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 87, which means that the share price of Gap is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 87% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 91, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 67. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 85. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 100, Gap is better positioned than 100% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 87), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 91), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 67), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 85), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Gap is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Gap very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Gap is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Gap. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 44 (worse than 56% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 83, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Gap. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 69, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 69% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 90, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 90% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 85 (more positive than 85% compared with investment alternatives), Gap has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: Gap Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Gap shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Gap. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 54, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 54% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Gap's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 80% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 90 (dividends are expected to be higher than 90% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 59% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for Gap to 41. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation based on Gap's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Gap Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 91 (better than 91% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Gap shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Gap. Profit Growth has a rank of 87 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 87% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 75, and Stock Returns has a rank of 97 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 97% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 23 (77% of its competitors are better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 91, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Gap Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 45 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 67 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 60 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 67 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), the company Gap has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Gap is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Gap. Refinancing is at 67, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 67% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 60, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 60% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 45, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 55% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), Gap has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Gap could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Gap Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 87 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 91 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 60 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 98 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with investment alternatives), Gap (Apparel Retail, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Gap are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 87 (better than 87% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 91), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 67), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 98, is a strong buy recommendation based on Gap's financial characteristics. As the company Gap's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 87), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 91), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 67), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Gap. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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