ASR vs GAP: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Last updated August 2026

Short answer

ASR and GAP are similarly sized, but GAP trades noticeably cheaper on forward earnings (7.66x vs 10.73x): the market is paying up for ASR's profile and pricing GAP more conservatively, or for faster growth. Which you prefer comes down to the drivers you believe, and whether adding either over-concentrates what you already own.

ASR vs GAP: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricASRGAPWhat it tells you
Forward P/E10.737.66Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Trailing P/E14.757.80Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price.
Beta0.182.05Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range14% of range14% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book3.461.94How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Reading it: GAP is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

Before you buy: how ASR and GAP affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. ASR and GAP share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined ASR and GAP exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASR) do?

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, which operates under the ASUR brand, holds concessions to operate, maintain, and develop 16 airports across the Americas. Its portfolio includes nine airports in southeastern Mexico (led by Cancun, plus Cozumel, Merida, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and others), six airports in northern Colombia through its Airplan unit (including the Medellin metro area hubs), and a 60% stake in Aerostar, which runs San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico. Roughly 58% of revenue comes from Cancun alone, making ASR heavily tied to leisure travel to Mexico's Caribbean coast. Revenue splits between aeronautical fees (charges tied to passengers and aircraft) and a fast-growing non-aeronautical segment (retail leasing, parking, advertising, and commercial services).

Full ASR guide

What does Gap Inc. (GAP) do?

Gap Inc. sells clothing under four owned brands and reports each of them separately. Old Navy is the volume engine at roughly $2.0 billion of the $3.5 billion first quarter of fiscal 2026, with the Gap brand at ~$796 million, Banana Republic at ~$431 million and Athleta at ~$270 million. The company ended that quarter with nearly 3,500 store locations across about 35 countries, of which 2,477 were company-operated, and it employs about 79,000 people. Online is ~38% of net sales. Richard Dickson has run the company since 2023, and the turnaround he inherited has been mostly about product, marketing and inventory discipline rather than store expansion.

Full GAP guide

ASR vs GAP: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • ASR drivers: Concession-protected airport franchise; Non-aeronautical and commercial growth.
  • GAP drivers: The Gap brand is genuinely working; Tariff costs and the merchandise margin path.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The single largest risk is Cancun concentration: about 58% of revenue derives from one airport tied to leisure travel, so any sustained slowdown in Mexican Caribbean tourism hits results directly. For GAP, guidance for fiscal 2026 was cut to net sales growth of 1% to 2% from 2% to 3%, and management signalled second-quarter sales roughly flat to down 1%, so the top line offers very little cushion.

ASR or GAP: which should you pick?

Pick ASR if you believe its drivers more; GAP if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the ASR and GAP guides.

ASR vs GAP: the full fundamentals

ASR. Full-year 2025 revenue grew about 19% to roughly Ps.37 billion, though reported earnings declined versus the prior year, partly reflecting the higher concession fee and cost pressures. The stock trades at a mid-to-high-teens price-to-earnings multiple, typical for a regulated infrastructure operator with monopoly-like concessions. Figures are approximate and based on public reporting; the ADR is denominated in US dollars while the underlying results are reported in Mexican pesos.

GAP. Trailing figures cover the four quarters through May 2, 2026 and include the ~$313 million net interchange-litigation gain booked in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, which is why reported EPS of ~$2.52 runs well ahead of the ~$2.30 to ~$2.40 adjusted range guided for the full year. Reported full-year EPS guidance of ~$2.83 to ~$2.93 also carries that gain. On the adjusted number the multiple is closer to ~8.5x, and adjusted operating margin is guided to ~7.3% to ~7.5%, essentially flat with fiscal 2025's 7.3%. Second quarter results are scheduled for August 27, 2026.

Headline figures (approximate, July 2026): ASR shows revenue (fy2025) ~Ps.37 billion (~$2.0B USD), q1 2026 revenue ~Ps.8.9 billion (+0.8% YoY), net income (fy2025) ~Ps.10.5 billion, net debt / ltm ebitda ~0.8x; GAP shows revenue (ttm) ~$15.4B, net income (ttm) ~$962M, diluted eps (ttm, reported) ~$2.52, market cap ~$7.1B at ~$19.65 per share.

The bottom line: ASR vs GAP

ASR and GAP are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined ASR and GAP exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Wondering how ASR or GAP fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how ASR fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is the difference between ASR and GAP?

+

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, which operates under the ASUR brand, holds concessions to operate, maintain, and develop 16 airports across the Americas. Gap Inc. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is ASR or GAP the better stock?

+

Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, ASR or GAP?

+

On forward P/E (as of August 2026), ASR trades at 10.73x and GAP at 7.66x, so GAP is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both ASR and GAP?

+

Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of ASR vs GAP?

+

ASR: The single largest risk is Cancun concentration: about 58% of revenue derives from one airport tied to leisure travel, so any sustained slowdown in Mexican Caribbean tourism hits results directly. International arrivals to Cancun and other Mexican beach destinations have shown recent double-digit declines, reflecting softer US travel demand and rising competition from other sun-and-beach markets. Mexican regulatory risk is material: authorities amended the tariff base regulation and raised the concession fee on regulated revenues (from 5.0% to 9.0% starting in 2024), and future maximum-tariff reviews could pressure returns. As an ADR of a Mexican company, the stock also carries peso currency risk, and required multi-year capital investment plans commit large sums regardless of the traffic cycle. GAP: Guidance for fiscal 2026 was cut to net sales growth of 1% to 2% from 2% to 3%, and management signalled second-quarter sales roughly flat to down 1%, so the top line offers very little cushion. Trade policy is the single largest swing factor: the outlook rests on a specific tariff-rate assumption through late July 2026 and a reversion after it, and a different outcome moves gross margin directly. Old Navy carries most of the volume and comped up only ~1% against a ~3% consensus, which is what triggered the guidance reset and a wave of plaintiff-firm shareholder solicitations in June 2026 (as of August 2026 those releases carry no case number, court or filing date). Online sales declined ~2% year over year even as store sales grew ~3%, an unusual mix for a retailer of this size. Operating lease liabilities of ~$4.1 billion sit alongside the $1.5 billion of notes, so the fixed-cost base is heavier than the headline debt figure suggests, and specialty apparel remains exposed to discretionary spending and to price competition from Shein, Temu and the mass merchants.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell ASR or GAP; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.