Jefferies Financial Group Cuts Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) Price Target to $15.50

Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) had its price objective trimmed by Jefferies Financial Group from $20.00 to $15.50 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the ride-sharing company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Lyft from $14.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Lyft from $27.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush cut their target price on Lyft from $16.00 to $13.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Lyft from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Lyft in a report on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lyft presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.98.

Lyft Stock Up 1.7%

LYFT opened at $13.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a PE ratio of 1.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.93. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.00. Lyft has a 1-year low of $9.66 and a 1-year high of $25.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Lyft announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the ride-sharing company to buy up to 15.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jill Beggs sold 1,466 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.25, for a total transaction of $29,686.50. Following the sale, the director owned 34,278 shares in the company, valued at $694,129.50. The trade was a 4.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Stephen W. Hope sold 4,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.30, for a total value of $107,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 311,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,955,570.70. The trade was a 1.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 187,443 shares of company stock valued at $4,178,618. 3.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lyft

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Lyft by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 154,649 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $2,996,000 after buying an additional 3,813 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Lyft by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 97,581 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $1,890,000 after acquiring an additional 3,993 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC increased its position in Lyft by 222.1% in the 4th quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 64,419 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 44,419 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Lyft by 214.5% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 59,235 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 40,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lyft by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 28,857 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the period. 83.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lyft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lyft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company guided to up to ~20% gross bookings growth for Q1 and reported record active riders and a 37% jump in EBITDA, suggesting improving operating leverage despite a headline loss. Zacks: Lyft Earnings & Revenues Fall Short
• Positive Sentiment: Company authorized a material share‑buyback (reported at ~$1.0B), which can support the stock and is a common reason for short‑term upward moves after a sell‑off. American Banking News: Lyft to Repurchase $1.00B
• Positive Sentiment: Value investors/analysts argue the post‑earnings drop is overdone — highlighting cheap multiples (low P/E, low P/S) and suggesting the share price presents an entry point. Seeking Alpha: Lyft’s Earnings Crash Is Overdone
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical note: some traders flag LYFT as oversold and sitting near support, which can trigger short‑term bounces but is not fundamentally decisive. Benzinga: Stock Of The Day
• Neutral Sentiment: Management publicly pushed back as the stock tumbled; CEO commentary may be intended to calm investors but hasn’t removed uncertainty. MSN: Lyft CEO Responds
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue miss triggered a large sell‑off — investors punished weaker-than-expected top‑line growth and an operating loss despite bookings strength, causing steep recent volatility. Zacks: Earnings & Revenues Fall Short
• Negative Sentiment: Market concern over accounting and “masked” weak growth was highlighted in coverage that tied accounting treatment to the stock’s 16% crash, raising investor skepticism. Yahoo Finance: Accounting Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut ratings/targets (e.g., Mizuho lowered its target and set a neutral rating) and at least one notable downgrade spurred further downside pressure. Benzinga: Mizuho Lowers Target
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing safety incidents, violent assaults on drivers/riders and litigation (attempted kidnapping claims, murder/shootings, and a lawsuit alleging a passenger was taken to an attacker) raise regulatory, reputational and legal risk that can hurt demand and increase costs. AOL: Driver Murder Yahoo: Kidnapping Allegation Detroit News: Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/regulatory risk: a new NYC ride app claims lower fares vs. Uber/Lyft but the city says the app is operating illegally — highlights pricing pressure and regulatory complexity in core markets. Yahoo: NYC Ride App vs. Lyft

Lyft Company Profile

Lyft, Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT) operates a peer-to-peer ridesharing platform that connects passengers with drivers through a mobile application. Since its founding in 2012, the company has expanded beyond traditional ride-hailing to include bike and electric scooter rentals, while also offering rental cars and public transit options in select markets. Lyft’s platform uses GPS mapping and dynamic pricing algorithms to optimize driver-passenger matches and route efficiency.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Lyft primarily serves urban and suburban markets across the United States and Canada.