Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Shares Sold by Man Group plc

Man Group plc reduced its stake in shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP - Free Report) by 56.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 470,096 shares of the local business review company's stock after selling 600,335 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned about 0.71% of Yelp worth $18,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Yelp by 347.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,363 shares of the local business review company's stock worth $5,627,000 after buying an additional 124,561 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Yelp by 87.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 507,990 shares of the local business review company's stock worth $19,659,000 after buying an additional 236,400 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Yelp during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,279,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Yelp by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,063 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Yelp by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 18,083 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $700,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.11% of the company's stock.

Yelp Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:YELP traded down $0.62 on Wednesday, reaching $37.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,064,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 738,156. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.99. Yelp Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.29 and a 52-week high of $41.72. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $35.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.25.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The local business review company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.05. Yelp had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 18.07%. The company had revenue of $358.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.48 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. Yelp's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Yelp Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Yelp

In other Yelp news, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of Yelp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $35,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 211,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,563,198.50. The trade was a 0.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO David A. Schwarzbach sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.80, for a total transaction of $348,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 242,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,453,476.80. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 57,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,025,717 in the last three months. 8.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on YELP shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Yelp from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Yelp from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $34.00.

About Yelp

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.