BMO Capital Markets Upgrades Gildan Activewear (TSE:GIL) to Strong-Buy

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Gildan Activewear (TSE:GIL) (NYSE:GIL) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Friday, Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on GIL. Desjardins increased their target price on shares of Gildan Activewear from C$55.00 to C$63.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. National Bankshares raised their price objective on Gildan Activewear from C$57.00 to C$58.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Securities lifted their price objective on Gildan Activewear from C$46.00 to C$50.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gildan Activewear currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$54.00.

Gildan Activewear Price Performance

GIL traded down C$2.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting C$55.26. The stock had a trading volume of 733,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,557. Gildan Activewear has a 1 year low of C$36.42 and a 1 year high of C$58.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.76, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of C$52.76 and a 200 day moving average of C$49.07. The company has a market cap of C$9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.63.

Gildan Activewear Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This is a positive change from Gildan Activewear’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Gildan Activewear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.04%.

Insider Activity

In other Gildan Activewear news, Director Ghislain Houle purchased 9,625 shares of Gildan Activewear stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of C$51.83 per share, for a total transaction of C$498,834.88. In related news, Director Ghislain Houle acquired 9,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$51.83 per share, for a total transaction of C$498,834.88. Also, Senior Officer Juan Carlos Contreras Contreras Y. Contreras sold 4,350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$37.06, for a total value of C$161,200.13. Insiders own 2.17% of the company’s stock.

About Gildan Activewear

Gildan Activewear Inc manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Glidan Softstyle, Gildan Heavy Cotton, Gildan Ultra Cotton, Gildan DryBlend, Gildan HeavyBlend, Comfort Colors, and American Apparel brands.