Yelp (NYSE:YELP) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The local business review company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.09, Zacks reports. Yelp had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 16.02%. Yelp updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS and its Q1 2025 guidance to EPS.

Yelp Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE YELP traded up $0.93 on Thursday, reaching $40.60. The company had a trading volume of 740,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 611,714. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $39.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.50. Yelp has a 12 month low of $32.56 and a 12 month high of $45.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yelp

In related news, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of Yelp stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.05, for a total transaction of $38,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 184,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,022,431.90. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO David A. Schwarzbach sold 10,000 shares of Yelp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.51, for a total transaction of $395,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 191,988 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,585,445.88. This represents a 4.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 44,011 shares of company stock worth $1,677,131. Insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on YELP shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Yelp from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Yelp to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Yelp from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

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.