Morgan Stanley Downgrades Etsy (ETSY) to Underweight

Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) was downgraded by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $17.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 13.00% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Etsy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Etsy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (up from $15.00) on shares of Etsy in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. Piper Jaffray Companies reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $14.50 price objective on shares of Etsy in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Finally, Ifs Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price objective (up from $18.00) on shares of Etsy in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.19.

Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) opened at $19.54 on Friday. Etsy has a 52 week low of $9.41 and a 52 week high of $21.86. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $2,378.29, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.17.

Etsy declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, November 17th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

In other news, Director Frederick R. Wilson sold 87,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.24, for a total value of $1,428,113.12. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 822,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,350,286.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Etsy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 385,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,509,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Etsy in the 3rd quarter worth about $315,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Etsy in the 3rd quarter worth about $363,000. Goodnow Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Etsy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Goodnow Investment Group LLC now owns 1,378,286 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $23,265,000 after buying an additional 6,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Etsy in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,187,000. Institutional investors own 74.40% of the company’s stock.

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About Etsy

Etsy, Inc (Etsy) operates a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy goods. The Company offers a range of seller services and tools that help entrepreneurs start, grow and manage their businesses. The Company’s community includes Etsy sellers, Etsy buyers, Etsy employees, its partners and investors.

Analyst Recommendations for Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY)