Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $39.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Yelp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Yelp from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Yelp in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Yelp from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Yelp from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th.

Insider Transactions at Yelp

In other news, COO Joseph R. Nachman sold 4,941 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.53, for a total value of $180,494.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 295,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,807,108.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CTO Sam Eaton sold 10,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $377,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 145,171 shares in the company, valued at $5,080,985. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Joseph R. Nachman sold 4,941 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.53, for a total transaction of $180,494.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 295,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,807,108.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $1,059,695 over the last 90 days. 7.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yelp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of YELP. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Yelp during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Yelp by 262.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 664 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yelp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in Yelp in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Yelp by 153.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,323 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. 90.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Yelp Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YELP opened at $34.93 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.36. The company has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25 and a beta of 1.33. Yelp has a 52 week low of $32.56 and a 52 week high of $48.99.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The local business review company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $357.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $352.98 million. Yelp had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 18.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.21 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Yelp will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Yelp Company Profile

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.