Analysts Set Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Target Price at $37.17

Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

A number of research analysts recently commented on YELP shares. Evercore ISI raised shares of Yelp to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Yelp from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Yelp from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th.

Yelp Stock Down 2.2 %

YELP opened at $34.56 on Friday. Yelp has a 12-month low of $32.56 and a 12-month high of $41.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $39.00 and a 200-day moving average of $36.65.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The local business review company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.09. Yelp had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.41%. The firm had revenue of $361.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $350.73 million. On average, analysts expect that Yelp will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yelp

In related news, CTO Sam Eaton sold 21,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.70, for a total transaction of $785,007.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 153,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,467,776.30. This represents a 12.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David A. Schwarzbach sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.72, for a total transaction of $397,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 201,988 shares in the company, valued at $8,022,963.36. The trade was a 4.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,256 shares of company stock worth $2,120,559 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yelp

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Yelp by 82.5% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 637 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Avion Wealth increased its position in Yelp by 1,963.6% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 908 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 864 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Yelp by 98.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Yelp by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,094 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Yelp in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 90.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yelp Company Profile

Yelp Inc operates a platform that connects consumers with local businesses in the United States and internationally. The company's platform covers various categories, including restaurants, shopping, beauty and fitness, health, and other categories, as well as home, local, auto, professional, pets, events, real estate, and financial services.