e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 5,348,317 shares, a drop of 20.5% from the February 12th total of 6,727,406 shares. Approximately 9.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,017,453 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,017,453 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 9.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On e.l.f. Beauty

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in e.l.f. Beauty by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 153,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,650,000 after purchasing an additional 13,851 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 168.6% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 6,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 4,069 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 176.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 2,985 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty in the first quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty in the second quarter valued at approximately $311,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

e.l.f. Beauty Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ELF traded up $0.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $73.37. The stock had a trading volume of 3,008,920 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,079,810. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. e.l.f. Beauty has a 52 week low of $49.40 and a 52 week high of $150.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.45, a P/E/G ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 1.68.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.52. e.l.f. Beauty had a net margin of 6.84% and a return on equity of 15.08%. The business had revenue of $489.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. e.l.f. Beauty’s quarterly revenue was up 37.8% compared to the same quarter last year. e.l.f. Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on ELF. Wall Street Zen raised shares of e.l.f. Beauty from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $92.00 price target on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of e.l.f. Beauty from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of e.l.f. Beauty from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on e.l.f. Beauty from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.13.

About e.l.f. Beauty

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is an American cosmetics company known for offering an extensive range of affordable, trend-driven makeup and skincare products. The company’s portfolio spans foundations, lipsticks, mascaras, brushes, serums, masks and other beauty essentials, all positioned at accessible price points. e.l.f. Beauty maintains a direct-to-consumer platform through its e-commerce site and engages in widespread retail partnerships with major chains such as Target, Walmart, Ulta Beauty and Amazon.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Oakland, California, e.l.f.