Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $17.48, but opened at $18.33. Pinterest shares last traded at $18.3060, with a volume of 7,878,377 shares trading hands.

Key Headlines Impacting Pinterest

Here are the key news stories impacting Pinterest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Elliott is making a $1.0 billion strategic investment; Pinterest says it will use the proceeds to fund share repurchases (including a $1.0 billion accelerated share repurchase). This directly reduces float, supports EPS, and signals activist backing. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets report larger buyback programs tied to the deal (reports vary between a $2.0 billion near?term repurchase and a broader $3.5 billion program), which is a strong capital?return signal and likely lifted investor sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Activist involvement from Elliott (a high?profile investor) increases the likelihood of governance/strategic changes aimed at boosting shareholder value, which typically supports a rally in the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reporting varies on the exact mechanics and total size of repurchases (ASR vs. multi?tranche program); investors should watch the company’s filings and disclosures for precise terms and timing. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure remains: recent coverage includes a downgrade from Argus to Hold and a lowered price target from Goldman Sachs (though Goldman kept a Buy rating), reflecting continued analyst caution despite the corporate actions. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals still show mixed signals — recent quarter narrowly missed EPS and revenue estimates and the stock remains below its longer?term moving averages, so the rally could be vulnerable if execution or buyback details disappoint. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PINS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $18.00 price target on shares of Pinterest in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $26.00 price objective on Pinterest in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pinterest in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Pinterest from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Pinterest from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nineteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.87.

Pinterest Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.56 and a 200 day moving average of $28.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.55 billion, a PE ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.93.

Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.01). Pinterest had a net margin of 9.87% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Pinterest, Inc. will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Donnelly Julia Brau sold 22,821 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.86, for a total transaction of $590,151.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 540,358 shares in the company, valued at $13,973,657.88. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Malik Ducard sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.86, for a total transaction of $155,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 699,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,096,129.78. This trade represents a 0.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,407 shares of company stock valued at $855,925. 7.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pinterest

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PINS. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Pinterest in the 4th quarter worth about $252,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in Pinterest by 5.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 10,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Pinterest by 45.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 4,748 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Pinterest by 39.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Pinterest by 18.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 794,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,495,000 after purchasing an additional 124,498 shares in the last quarter. 88.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Pinterest

Pinterest, Inc operates a visual discovery platform that helps users find inspiration and ideas for projects ranging from home design and fashion to cooking and travel. Users create and curate “Pins” — images or videos linked to content — organized on thematic boards. The service is available through its website and mobile applications and emphasizes personalized recommendations and visual search to surface relevant content based on user interests.

The company’s primary revenue model is advertising, offering promoted content formats that integrate into user feeds and search results.