e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• e.l.f. Beauty has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 18 brokerages, with an average 1-year price target of about $80.38.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.32 versus $0.29 expected and revenue of $449.29 million versus $423.06 million expected, with revenue up 35.1% year over year.
• Despite the positive outlook, insider selling has been notable, including sales by CEO Tarang Amin and insider Jennifer Catherine Hartnett, while institutions remain heavily invested with 92.44% of shares owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $80.3750.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on e.l.f. Beauty from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on e.l.f. Beauty in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded e.l.f. Beauty from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on e.l.f. Beauty from $80.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th.

e.l.f. Beauty Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:ELF opened at $79.16 on Thursday. e.l.f. Beauty has a 52 week low of $48.82 and a 52 week high of $150.99. The company's 50 day moving average is $64.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.63. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a PE ratio of 172.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $449.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $423.06 million. e.l.f. Beauty had a net margin of 1.61% and a return on equity of 11.02%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. e.l.f. Beauty has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.270-3.320 EPS. Equities analysts predict that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at e.l.f. Beauty

In other news, insider Jennifer Catherine Hartnett sold 25,357 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $2,028,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 28,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,295,920. This represents a 46.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Tarang Amin sold 50,164 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.24, for a total transaction of $3,924,831.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,496 shares in the company, valued at $8,645,207.04. This trade represents a 31.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,988 shares of company stock valued at $18,354,580 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On e.l.f. Beauty

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 3,131.7% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 924,902 shares of the company's stock worth $70,330,000 after purchasing an additional 896,282 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,197,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,086,000 after purchasing an additional 711,540 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 97.0% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,364,801 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,779,000 after purchasing an additional 672,071 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 394.9% in the 4th quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 657,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,033,000 after purchasing an additional 525,018 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in e.l.f. Beauty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,895,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About e.l.f. Beauty

e.l.f. Beauty NYSE: ELF is an American cosmetics company known for offering an extensive range of affordable, trend-driven makeup and skincare products. The company's portfolio spans foundations, lipsticks, mascaras, brushes, serums, masks and other beauty essentials, all positioned at accessible price points. e.l.f. Beauty maintains a direct-to-consumer platform through its e-commerce site and engages in widespread retail partnerships with major chains such as Target, Walmart, Ulta Beauty and Amazon.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Oakland, California, e.l.f.

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