e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $84.63, but opened at $92.00. e.l.f. Beauty shares last traded at $81.5480, with a volume of 2,030,149 shares changing hands.

Key Stories Impacting e.l.f. Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company delivered a big FQ3 beat (revenue and adjusted EPS well ahead of expectations) and management raised FY26 guidance — a primary catalyst for the stock uptick. e.l.f. Beauty crushes FQ3 expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Net‑sales growth outlook was raised to roughly 22%–23% for fiscal 2026, signaling management expects sustained demand and supporting revenue growth expectations. E.l.f. Beauty raises fiscal 2026 net sales growth outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management cited strong retail and e‑commerce demand, plus a successful rhode rollout (UK traction) and continued interest in lower‑priced cosmetics — key drivers behind the beat and raised outlook. Elf Beauty lifts annual forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side analysts increased targets or reiterated bullish views after results — Bank of America kept a Buy and a $115 target, supporting further upside potential. Buy rating and $115 target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary suggests the quarter may mark a technical bottom and a momentum shift after 2025 weakness, implying sentiment/rotation could further lift the shares if results persist. MarketBeat: e.l.f. is looking good again
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious on valuation and the durability of above‑trend growth — UBS kept a Hold and raised its target to $102, highlighting potential upside limits versus risk. UBS Hold on valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Margins showed some contraction (higher SG&A for marketing/expansion and modest tariff impact), creating a watchpoint: growth is strong, but near‑term margin pressure could temper EPS expansion. MarketWatch: more upbeat outlook but margin notes

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on e.l.f. Beauty from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on e.l.f. Beauty from $165.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded e.l.f. Beauty from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of e.l.f. Beauty in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, e.l.f. Beauty currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.31.

e.l.f. Beauty Trading Down 5.1%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $82.14 and a 200 day moving average of $105.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.35, a P/E/G ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 1.71.

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $343.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $367.89 million. e.l.f. Beauty had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that e.l.f. Beauty will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of e.l.f. Beauty

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ELF. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of e.l.f. Beauty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in e.l.f. Beauty by 97.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in e.l.f. Beauty by 58.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in e.l.f. Beauty by 129.1% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of e.l.f. Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

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.