Lazard Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in Yext $YEXT

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management cut its Yext position by 96.8% in the first quarter, selling 414,219 shares and retaining 13,648 shares valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors collectively own 70.98% of Yext.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans positive: Yext has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $7.50, despite recent upgrades and downgrades ranging from Strong Buy to Sell.
• Yext directors made significant insider purchases, including 133,000 shares bought by Seth H. Waugh and 76,190 shares purchased by Daniel J. Englander. The stock was trading at $5.75, up 3.1%, with a market capitalization of about $576 million.

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Yext (NYSE:YEXT - Free Report) by 96.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,648 shares of the company's stock after selling 414,219 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Yext were worth $52,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of YEXT. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Yext by 9,253.0% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,353 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 9,253 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Yext by 147.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 4,677 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,784 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in Yext in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yext in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yext in the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on YEXT shares. Weiss Ratings raised Yext from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Yext from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Yext from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $7.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Seth H. Waugh acquired 133,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $3.75 per share, with a total value of $498,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 319,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,197,791.25. This trade represents a 71.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Englander acquired 76,190 shares of Yext stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.22 per share, with a total value of $397,711.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 141,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $737,011.80. The trade was a 117.22% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Yext Trading Up 3.1%

YEXT opened at $5.75 on Friday. Yext has a one year low of $3.27 and a one year high of $9.20. The company has a market cap of $575.92 million, a P/E ratio of 82.07 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.03, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $4.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.80.

About Yext

Yext, Inc is a software-as-a-service company that provides a platform for digital knowledge management. Its core offering enables businesses to centrally manage and synchronize public-facing information—such as location details, product descriptions and service offerings—across a network of search engines, mapping services, voice assistants and third-party directories.

The Yext platform is built around a proprietary Knowledge Graph, which stores and structures data to ensure consistency and accuracy.

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