Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $19.66 Million Stock Holdings in Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP - Free Report) by 87.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 507,990 shares of the local business review company's stock after purchasing an additional 236,400 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.77% of Yelp worth $19,659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Yelp by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 654,059 shares of the local business review company's stock worth $22,944,000 after acquiring an additional 78,585 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Yelp by 1.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,743,899 shares of the local business review company's stock worth $96,256,000 after acquiring an additional 48,363 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 124,561 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yelp by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 204,077 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $7,159,000 after purchasing an additional 14,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yelp during the 3rd quarter worth $732,000. 90.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Yelp from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Yelp from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Evercore ISI raised Yelp to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Yelp from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $46.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.05, for a total value of $38,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 184,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,022,431.90. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 88,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,389,992.21. This trade represents a 12.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 55,865 shares of company stock valued at $2,129,368. 7.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Yelp Trading Up 0.3 %

YELP stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.65. 453,097 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 595,718. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.07. Yelp Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.56 and a 12-month high of $45.91.

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.