Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Stock Has Average Price Target of $25.57

Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.57.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Yelp from $24.00 to $17.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Yelp in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Yelp in a research note on Friday, September 11th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock.

Yelp Stock Performance

NYSE YELP opened at $19.97 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Yelp has a fifty-two week low of $17.26 and a fifty-two week high of $34.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.55 and a 200-day moving average of $23.51. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.45.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The local business review company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $375.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $366.89 million. Yelp had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 8.59%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Yelp will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yelp

In related news, CFO David Schwarzbach sold 8,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.19, for a total value of $204,280.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 180,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,185,006.54. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Alexander Coleman Levy sold 3,829 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.40, for a total value of $89,598.60. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 54,124 shares in the company, valued at $1,266,501.60. This trade represents a 6.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 28,638 shares of company stock valued at $614,249 over the last quarter. Insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yelp

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cygnus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Yelp by 3,241.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cygnus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 167,050 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $4,096,000 after buying an additional 162,050 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Yelp by 73.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 562,739 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $13,922,000 after buying an additional 238,993 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Yelp by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 358,536 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $8,870,000 after buying an additional 44,087 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Yelp in the 1st quarter worth $1,684,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in Yelp in the third quarter valued at $8,951,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.11% of the company’s stock.

About Yelp

Yelp Inc operates an online platform that helps consumers discover and evaluate local businesses. Through its website and mobile applications, Yelp provides business listings, user-generated reviews, ratings, photos and other information across categories such as restaurants, home services, beauty and fitness, automotive, health and professional services.

The company generates revenue primarily by providing businesses with advertising and marketing solutions designed to increase their visibility and connect them with potential customers.