Business
Gap stock falls as retailer misses sales expectations, warns tariffs will impact profits
Gap stock fell in extended trading on Thursday after the company warned tariffs will impact its profits moving forward.
When Gap last reported results in May, it said it expected tariffs to cost between $100 million and $150 million on a net basis, but on Thursday, it said those costs are now going to be between $150 million and $175 million.
Its full-year operating margin is expected to be between 6.7% and 7%, down from 7.4% in the previous fiscal year, reflecting a tariff impact between 1 percentage point and 1.10 percentage points.
In its current quarter, its expecting its gross margin to be down between 1.5 and 1.7 percentage points, driven by tariff costs.
Beyond tariffs, the specialty apparel company behind Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic and its namesake banner delivered mixed results in its fiscal second quarter. Here’s how Gap performed in the quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 57 cents vs. 55 cents expected
- Revenue: $3.73 billion vs. $3.74 billion expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Aug. 2 was $216 million, or 57 cents per share, compared with $206 million, or 54 cents per share, a year earlier.
Sales rose to $3.73 billion, up slightly from $3.72 billion a year earlier. Sales came in lower than expected and so did comparable sales. During the quarter, comparable sales rose 1%, weaker than the 1.9% rise that analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount.
While Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy all saw comparable sales rise during the quarter, Athleta dragged down the company’s overall performance with comps down 9%.
“Clearly, Athleta is a powerful brand in the active space, being the number five brand in the space, but we’re disappointed in the quarter. We have moved away, if you will, from really distinctive performance roots,” CEO Richard Dickson told CNBC in an interview. “We’ve paid a lot of attention, trying to court a new customer, and ultimately didn’t have enough offerings for our core customer. As we balance that out, we’ve been very transparent to say it’s a year of reset for us.”
Last month, Gap announced that Maggie Gauger, a longtime veteran of Nike, had been tapped as Athleta’s next CEO — the third top executive hired to helm the brand in the last two years.
The company reaffirmed its fiscal 2025 net sales growth outlook and is continuing to expect revenue to grow between 1% and 2%, in line with estimates of 1.6%, according to LSEG. For the current quarter, Gap is expecting sales to grow between 1.5% and 2.5%, better than the 2% that analysts had estimated, according to LSEG.
To offset the impact of tariffs, Gap is doing what other companies are doing: working with its suppliers, adjusting its sourcing, diversifying its supply chain and taking targeted price increases where appropriate.
Notably, the company said it doesn’t expect the annualization of tariffs to cause any further declines in operating income in 2026.
“As it relates to pricing, we’re making targeted adjustments with pricing, as we always do. There isn’t anything that we’ve done that is substantially different,” Dickson said. “We focus on making sure that we’re presenting to our consumer the right value proposition, and ultimately want to make even more sure that we’re sustaining the momentum and market share gains that our playbook has been performing.”
Just over two years into Dickson’s tenure as Gap’s CEO, the company is in a far different position. It’s seen six straight quarters of comparable sales growth, it’s sitting on a $2.2 billion cash pile and its brands are back at the center of culture and conversation.
Recently, Gap launched its “Better in Denim” campaign featuring Katseye and Kelis’s 2003 hit “Milkshake.” Dickson said the campaign has been a standout success, delivering 20 million views in the first three days, 400 million total views and 8 billion impressions. It’s also the No. 1 search on TikTok, Dickson said.
“We could all acknowledge that Gap moved from what was a clothing retailer just a couple years ago, that was overly promotional and didn’t have necessarily a strong voice from a merchandising perspective to consumers, and now today, it is a pop culture brand that’s telling great stories, driving great merchandising initiatives and arguably shaping culture with some of the programs and products and marketing campaigns,” Dickson said. “This is proving that Gap is a powerful pop culture brand, and this is also what our playbook looks like when you get it right.”
The campaign highlights the efforts Gap is taking to stay competitive in the crucial denim category, especially with Levi’s recent partnership with Beyoncé and American Eagle‘s campaign with Sydney Sweeney. At a time when consumers are pulling back on nice-to-have products like new clothes and accessories, retailers have had to do more to cut through the noise and ensure they’re resonating with consumers.
Still, as the company continues to make strides in its turnaround plan, Wall Street has come to expect a lot, and Gap has had to work harder to beat expectations.
During the quarter, its gross margin came in at 41.2%, behind expectations of 41.9%, according to StreetAccount.
Here’s a closer look at how each brand performed:
Old Navy: Gap’s largest and most important brand saw sales of of $2.2 billion, up 1% compared with last year. Comparable sales were up 2%, compared with expectations of up 2.2%, according to StreetAccount.
Gap: The namesake banner saw net sales of $772 million, up 1% compared with last year. Comparable sales were up 4%, compared with expectations of 4.1%, according to StreetAccount. Its the seventh consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth.
Banana Republic: The safari-chic, business essentials brand saw net sales of $475 million, down 1% compared with last year. Comparable sales were up 4%, far ahead of expectations of 0.2%, according to StreetAccount.
Athleta: The athleisure brand saw sales of $300 million, down 11% compared to last year. Comparable sales were down 9%. The brand’s new CEO is looking to reverse that slump and reconnect with Athleta’s core consumer.
Business
Best Buy’s holiday sales disappoint, but retailer shows progress in growing profits
Sign at the main entrance to a Best Buy store in Venice, Florida.
Erik McGregor | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Best Buy posted mixed results on Tuesday as the retailer’s holiday-quarter sales declined and missed Wall Street’s expectations, but its earnings topped estimates as it showed improved profitability.
For the current fiscal year, the consumer electronics retailer expects revenue to range between $41.2 billion and $42.1 billion, compared with $41.69 billion in the most recent fiscal year. It expects adjusted earnings per share to range from $6.30 to $6.60, after it reported adjusted earnings per share of $6.43 for the previous fiscal year.
Best Buy anticipates that comparable sales, a metric that tracks sales online and in stores open at least 14 months, will range from a decline of 1% to an increase of 1%.
In a news release, CEO Corie Barry said demand for consumer electronics remained lackluster during the gift-giving season, but the company’s internal data indicates that Best Buy’s market share in the industry “was at least flat.”
Chief Financial Officer Matt Bilunas said in his own statement that the company is “excited about the momentum in our business.” But he added that company leaders “expect to continue to navigate a mixed macro environment.”
Shares jumped more than 10% in premarket trading.
Here’s how the retailer did for the fiscal fourth quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $2.61 adjusted vs. $2.47 expected
- Revenue: $13.81 billion vs. $13.88 billion expected
In the three-month period that ended Jan. 31, Best Buy’s net income jumped to $541 million, or $2.56 per share, from $117 million, or 54 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding one-time expenses, including charges for its health business, Best Buy reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.61.
Revenue decreased from $13.95 billion in the year-ago quarter. Yet on an annual basis, revenue rose to $41.69 billion from $41.53 billion in the prior fiscal year. Best Buy’s annual revenue declined in the three previous fiscal years.
For about four years, Best Buy has pinned its slower sales on more price-sensitive U.S. consumers, a slower housing market and less tech innovation. All of those factors have caused some shoppers to delay tech purchases, particularly big-ticket items like new refrigerators. Higher tariffs have also added costs for Best Buy, since many consumer electronics are imported.
Comparable sales dropped 0.8% in the fourth quarter as the company saw softer sales of appliances and home theaters. Those declines were partially offset by sales growth in computing and mobile phones, the company said.
Best Buy has leaned into more profitable businesses, including selling ads and offering more merchandise through its third-party marketplace, which launched in August. Barry said in the company’s news release that Best Buy’s advertising partners nearly doubled compared to the prior year and she said the retailer has significantly increased the number of available products on the marketplace.
The company has a scheduled earnings call at 9 a.m. ET.
Business
US-Iran War: India Has Over 50 Days Of Crude Oil Stocks, In ‘Comfortable Position’: Report
Last Updated:
The Indian government has over 50 days of crude oil stocks and is in a ‘comfortable position’. They remain cautiously optimistic about diversification.

Crude Oil
US-Iran War: The Indian government has confirmed that the country has over 50 days of crude oil stocks and is in a ‘comfortable position’, according to a Moneycontrol report.
The MC report added that the government continues to be cautiously optimistic that it is capable of taking domestic steps and diversifying as the need arises.
The government’s comment plays down any concern arising over India’s energy security in crude oil amid the rising tension in the Middle East and complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global crude shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz have nearly ground to a halt, disrupting close to 86% of the usual east–west oil traffic and rattling energy markets worldwide.
According to maritime intelligence firms Windward and Kpler, the strategic chokepoint remains technically open, but vessel movement has slowed to a fraction of normal levels. On March 1, just three oil tankers transporting a combined 2.8 million barrels transited the strait — a steep 86% drop compared to the 2026 daily average of 19.8 million barrels.
By early March 2, activity had thinned further, with only one small tanker and a single cargo vessel recorded moving through the primary shipping lanes, underscoring the scale of the disruption.
Brent curde oil futures were also trading over USD 80 per barrel for the past two days, with anticipation to rise in three digit soon.
India is highly dependent on other countries for its crude oil requirements, with imports accounting for around 88–90 per cent of total demand. In 2024, India surpassed China as the world’s largest oil demand driver, driven by rising fuel consumption, particularly in transportation.
So, what happens if there is a large-scale disruption in crude oil supply? Is India prepared to handle such a situation, and for how long?
India has a dedicated special purpose vehicle called Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), which is responsible for maintaining petroleum reserves for such emergencies.
The Government of India decided to establish 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of strategic crude oil storage across three locations.
ISPRL functions under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the project was executed by Engineers India Limited (EIL). The strategic reserves are situated in Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Padur (near Udupi).
These crude oil storages are built in underground rock caverns along both the eastern and western coasts of India. Crude oil from these caverns can be supplied to Indian refineries through pipelines or a combination of pipelines and coastal transport.
Underground rock caverns are considered one of the safest methods for storing hydrocarbons.
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March 03, 2026, 16:14 IST
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