Stephens Inc. AR Raises Stock Position in e.l.f. Beauty $ELF

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) by 129.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,453 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,465 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in e.l.f. Beauty were worth $1,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ELF. Granite Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in e.l.f. Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth $20,778,000. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. increased its position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 69.6% during the second quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 35,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,396,000 after acquiring an additional 14,492 shares during the last quarter. Tran Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty during the third quarter worth about $7,436,000. WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty by 20.6% in the second quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 131,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,409,000 after acquiring an additional 22,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in e.l.f. Beauty by 11.0% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 957,941 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,206,000 after purchasing an additional 95,270 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ELF. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $121.00 price target on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of e.l.f. Beauty from $137.00 to $103.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of e.l.f. Beauty from $145.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of e.l.f. Beauty from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.40.

e.l.f. Beauty Stock Performance

e.l.f. Beauty stock opened at $90.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 1.76. e.l.f. Beauty has a 12 month low of $49.40 and a 12 month high of $150.99. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $78.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.29. The company has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 63.51, a P/E/G ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 1.73.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.11. e.l.f. Beauty had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The company had revenue of $343.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $367.89 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. e.l.f. Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-2.850 EPS. Research analysts expect that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Key e.l.f. Beauty News

Here are the key news stories impacting e.l.f. Beauty this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $110 price target (about a ~22% upside vs. the current price), giving the stock direct analyst momentum and a clear bullish catalyst. Jefferies Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Two recent bullish features (Yahoo Finance / InsiderMonkey) highlight e.l.f.’s brand strength, cost-efficient mass-market positioning and favorable analyst notes (including JPMorgan’s reaffirmation), supporting a constructive medium-term growth story. What Makes e.l.f. Attractive InsiderMonkey Article
• Positive Sentiment: High-visibility commentary from Jim Cramer suggested material upside if a Supreme Court tariff decision swings in e.l.f.’s favor, a scenario investors may price in given potential margin/SG&A implications. Jim Cramer on e.l.f.
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold rating, which suggests limited near-term upside from that shop and may cap enthusiastic buying until clearer fundamental or macro improvements arrive. UBS Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces comparing e.l.f. to peers (Zacks piece on EWCZ vs ELF) and product-focused lifestyle articles (MSN on an affordable product similar to a premium rival) provide context for retail demand but are unlikely to shift fundamentals alone. Zacks Comparison Product Feature
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece warns that e.l.f. faces “great headwinds” and frames current action as a speculative swing trade ahead of a potential breakout — that critique can pressure sentiment and trigger short-term selling from risk-averse investors. Seeking Alpha Headwinds

e.l.f. Beauty Profile

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.