Zacks Research Weighs in on Yelp's Q2 Earnings (NYSE:YELP)

Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Yelp in a report issued on Tuesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the local business review company will post earnings per share of $0.61 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.67. The consensus estimate for Yelp's current full-year earnings is $2.22 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Yelp's Q3 2026 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.35 EPS.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The local business review company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $361.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $350.73 million. Yelp had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 18.07%.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Yelp from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Yelp from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yelp currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.33.

Yelp Stock Up 0.5 %

Yelp stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.59. 511,993 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 740,169. Yelp has a 52-week low of $32.29 and a 52-week high of $41.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50-day moving average price is $35.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.91.

Insider Transactions at Yelp

In related news, CTO Sam Eaton sold 21,989 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.70, for a total transaction of $785,007.30. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 153,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,467,776.30. This trade represents a 12.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Craig Saldanha sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $34,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 222,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,665,538.40. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,727 shares of company stock valued at $2,025,717 in the last quarter. Insiders own 7.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in YELP. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Yelp by 347.9% during 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 during the period. Bristlecone Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Yelp during the fourth quarter valued at $1,197,000. Suncoast Equity Management bought a new position in shares of Yelp during the fourth quarter valued at $721,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yelp by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 366,297 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $14,176,000 after acquiring an additional 10,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Yelp by 332.0% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 15,195 shares of the local business review company's stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 11,678 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.