Yelp (NYSE:YELP) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $19.58 and last traded at $19.6050, with a volume of 3157078 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $20.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YELP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Yelp in a research note on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Yelp in a report on Friday, September 11th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $26.57.

Yelp Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 9.38, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.43. 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 (NYSE:YELP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The local business review company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $375.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $366.89 million. Yelp had a net margin of 8.59% and a return on equity of 19.52%. Yelp’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.67 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Yelp Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Yelp

In other news, CTO Alexander Coleman Levy sold 3,829 shares of Yelp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.40, for a total value of $89,598.60. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 54,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,266,501.60. This trade represents a 6.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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, CFO David Schwarzbach sold 8,809 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.19, for a total value of $204,280.71. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 180,466 shares in the company, valued at $4,185,006.54. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,138 shares of company stock valued at $304,949. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Yelp by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,158 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Yelp by 181.3% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 836 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Yelp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Essential Partners LLC boosted its position in Yelp by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 2,796 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yelp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,000. 90.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yelp Company Profile

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

The company generates revenue primarily by offering businesses advertising and other marketing products designed to help them reach consumers searching for local services.