Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.00.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Yelp from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Yelp to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Yelp in a research report on Monday, September 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock.

Yelp Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of YELP opened at $39.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.85. Yelp has a twelve month low of $32.56 and a twelve month high of $46.77.

Insider Activity at Yelp

In other news, insider Carmen Amara sold 12,854 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.17, for a total transaction of $490,637.18. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,813 shares in the company, valued at $3,389,992.21. The trade was a 12.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CTO Sam Eaton sold 10,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.12, for a total transaction of $377,329.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 122,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,301,497.60. The trade was a 8.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,865 shares of company stock worth $1,734,268 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of YELP. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Yelp by 54.5% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,148 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Yelp by 115.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 976 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Yelp by 98.5% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yelp in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Yelp by 153.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,323 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. 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.