** Shares of Banana Republic parent Gap GAP.N up 18% at $22.95 before the bell

** Company beats Q4 sales and profit estimates on strong holiday demand as CEO Richard Dickson's turnaround strategy starts to bear fruit in attracting customers to its apparel brands

** Gap, however, expects annual net sales growth between 1% and 2%, midpoint of this range is slightly below expectations of a 1.7% rise, according to data compiled by LSEG

** Barclays raises PT to $33 from $32 and adds "holiday capped off the year on a high note with momentum building entering 2025, suggestive that initial FY25 guidance looks conservative and beatable"

** J.P.Morgan lifts PT to $30 from $29

** "We expect investors to look for continued consistency in performance and growth across the brand portfolio, along with improved visibility to longer-term profitability potential" - Telsey Advisory Group

** In 2024, GAP had risen 13%

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru)

((AnanyaMariam.Rajesh@thomsonreuters.com ; X: https://twitter.com/AnanyaMariam))