Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Receives $37.17 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on YELP shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Yelp from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Yelp from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Yelp to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Transactions at Yelp

In other Yelp news, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.40, for a total transaction of $38,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 182,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,010,227.20. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Carmen Amara sold 12,854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.17, for a total transaction of $490,637.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,389,992.21. The trade was a 12.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 56,865 shares of company stock valued at $2,167,768. Company insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yelp

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YELP. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Avion Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Yelp by 1,963.6% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 908 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Yelp by 115.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 976 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Yelp by 54.5% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,148 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.11% of the company’s stock.

Yelp Stock Down 1.3 %

YELP stock opened at $39.96 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.35. The stock has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.34. Yelp has a fifty-two week low of $32.56 and a fifty-two week high of $45.91.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The local business review company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.16. Yelp had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 16.02%. The business had revenue of $360.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.74 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Yelp will post 1.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.