Short Interest in e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) Expands By 29.5%

e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,470,000 shares, a growth of 29.5% from the January 31st total of 5,770,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Insider Transactions at e.l.f. Beauty

In related news, insider Scott Milsten sold 530 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.60, for a total value of $72,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 68,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,474,172.80. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Tarang Amin sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.60, for a total transaction of $122,464.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 99,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,718,582.40. The trade was a 0.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On e.l.f. Beauty

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ELF. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 149.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 328,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,250,000 after acquiring an additional 197,028 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in e.l.f. Beauty by 441.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 8,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,040,000 after purchasing an additional 6,752 shares during the last quarter. Robbins Farley boosted its holdings in e.l.f. Beauty by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 34,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,318,000 after purchasing an additional 7,335 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in e.l.f. Beauty by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 3,572 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 1,380.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 16,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after buying an additional 15,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

e.l.f. Beauty Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ELF traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $63.88. The stock had a trading volume of 2,985,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,147,265. The firm has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $101.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.84. e.l.f. Beauty has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $219.77.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.35). e.l.f. Beauty had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 16.88%. Research analysts predict that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on ELF shares. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price (down previously from $150.00) on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Friday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on e.l.f. Beauty from $174.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on e.l.f. Beauty in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of e.l.f. Beauty from $154.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, e.l.f. Beauty presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.94.

e.l.f. Beauty Company Profile

e.l.f. Beauty, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of inclusive, accessible, clean, vegan and cruelty free cosmetics and skin care products. The company focuses on the e-commerce, national retailers and international business channels. Its brands include elf, elf skin, WELL People and KEYS soulcare.