Yelp (NYSE:YELP) Given Hold (C-) Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Yelp's stock has been given a "hold (C-)" rating by Weiss Ratings, while its average consensus target price is set at $35.40.
• The company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.67 for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.48 and marking a year-over-year revenue increase of 3.7%.
• Insider transactions show a recent sale of 1,500 shares by an insider, reflecting a decrease in their ownership position, as insiders collectively own 7.40% of Yelp's stock.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c-)" rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Tuesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

YELP has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI set a $45.00 target price on shares of Yelp and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Yelp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Yelp from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Yelp currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $35.40.

Yelp Price Performance

Shares of Yelp stock traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $33.34. The company had a trading volume of 500,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,793. The company's 50-day moving average is $31.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.28. Yelp has a twelve month low of $29.96 and a twelve month high of $41.72. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.98.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The local business review company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.19. Yelp had a net margin of 10.28% and a return on equity of 20.17%. The business had revenue of $370.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $365.71 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Yelp has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Yelp will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Yelp

In other news, insider Carmen Amara sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.37, for a total value of $47,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 84,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,637,150.42. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.93, for a total transaction of $37,116.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 202,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,263,325. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 37,400 shares of company stock worth $1,211,130. Company insiders own 7.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yelp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in YELP. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Yelp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Yelp by 1,102.0% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,202 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Yelp by 307.4% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in shares of Yelp in the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Yelp in the 1st quarter valued at about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.11% of the company's stock.

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.

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