Aberdeen Group plc Grows Position in e.l.f. Beauty $ELF

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group increased its stake in e.l.f. Beauty by 8.0% in Q4 to 411,985 shares (about $31.33M), and several other large institutions also added new positions, leaving institutional investors owning roughly 92.44% of the company.
• e.l.f. reported a strong quarter—EPS $1.24 vs. $0.72 expected and revenue $489.5M (up 37.8% YoY)—and set FY2026 guidance of $3.05–$3.10 EPS.
• Market sentiment is mixed: analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $117.19 versus the recent share price near $61, but CEO Tarang Amin sold 52,880 shares (~35% reduction) under a 10b5-1 plan and short interest rose ~21%, adding near-term downside risk.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF - Free Report) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 411,985 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,409 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.69% of e.l.f. Beauty worth $31,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in e.l.f. Beauty during the second quarter worth approximately $118,058,000. Atreides Management LP acquired a new position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty during the 2nd quarter valued at $61,479,000. Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty during the 2nd quarter valued at $52,316,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in e.l.f. Beauty during the 3rd quarter worth $52,613,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in e.l.f. Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth $36,245,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ELF. TD Cowen cut their price objective on e.l.f. Beauty from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on e.l.f. Beauty from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded e.l.f. Beauty from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 24th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on e.l.f. Beauty from $100.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Evercore assumed coverage on e.l.f. Beauty in a research report on Thursday. They set an "inline" rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, e.l.f. Beauty has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.19.

e.l.f. Beauty Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ELF opened at $61.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.76. e.l.f. Beauty has a 1 year low of $49.40 and a 1 year high of $150.99. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $78.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.35. The firm has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.55, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.83.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.52. e.l.f. Beauty had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 6.84%.The firm had revenue of $489.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.74 earnings per share. e.l.f. Beauty's revenue for the quarter was up 37.8% on a year-over-year basis. e.l.f. Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at e.l.f. Beauty

In related news, CEO Tarang Amin sold 52,880 shares of e.l.f. Beauty stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.64, for a total value of $3,312,403.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 98,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,164,778.24. The trade was a 34.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Key e.l.f. Beauty News

Here are the key news stories impacting e.l.f. Beauty this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore initiated coverage with an “in-line” rating and a $68 price target (about ~11% above the current price), which can attract buyer interest and act as a nearer-term valuation anchor for the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing push — e.l.f. launched a true-crime–inspired mockumentary campaign promoting its affordable positioning; this is a brand/awareness play that can support sales over time but is unlikely to move the stock immediately. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional backing remains strong: several large funds increased positions during the quarter, which provides stability and longer-term support for the share base. (This underpins institutional interest but doesn't guarantee near-term upside.) Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CEO Tarang Amin sold 52,880 shares (~$3.3M) under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his stake by ~35%. Even if planned, large insider selling can sour sentiment and prompt short-term selling. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~21.4% in March, increasing potential downside pressure and volatility if shorts remain active or pick up momentum. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent price action: coverage and news flow coincided with a notable intra-day pullback, highlighting current bearish momentum and technical pressure from the 50- and 200-day moving averages being well above the market price. Read More.

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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