Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Takes $1.05 Million Position in Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP acquired a new position in shares of Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 27,153 shares of the local business review company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,051,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YELP. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Yelp by 87.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 507,990 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $19,659,000 after purchasing an additional 236,400 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Yelp by 114.3% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 279,180 shares of the local business review company’s stock worth $9,794,000 after purchasing an additional 148,917 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Yelp by 347.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,363 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $5,627,000 after buying an additional 124,561 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Yelp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,279,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Yelp by 136.5% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 181,622 shares of the local business review company’s stock valued at $6,371,000 after buying an additional 104,839 shares during the period. 90.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Yelp

In related news, CTO Sam Eaton sold 21,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.70, for a total value of $785,007.30. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 153,159 shares in the company, valued at $5,467,776.30. This represents a 12.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.99, for a total transaction of $37,990.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 183,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,973,368.42. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,256 shares of company stock worth $2,047,609. Insiders own 7.40% of the company’s stock.

Yelp Stock Performance

Shares of YELP opened at $34.07 on Friday. Yelp Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.56 and a 52 week high of $41.72. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.62.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The local business review company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $361.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $350.73 million. Yelp had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.41%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Yelp Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on YELP shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Yelp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Yelp from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI upgraded Yelp to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Yelp from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.17.

Yelp 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.