Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Argus

Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Argus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on PINS. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target (down from $39.00) on shares of Pinterest in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $26.00 price objective on Pinterest in a report on Friday, February 13th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Pinterest from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $45.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, February 13th. HSBC lowered Pinterest from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $24.90 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Pinterest and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nineteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pinterest has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.87.

Pinterest Stock Performance

Shares of PINS opened at $19.11 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.33, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.17. Pinterest has a 52 week low of $13.84 and a 52 week high of $39.93.

Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.56 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Pinterest will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pinterest

In other Pinterest news, insider Malik Ducard sold 2,293 shares of Pinterest stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.06, for a total transaction of $50,583.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 695,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,335,825.22. The trade was a 0.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Donnelly Julia Brau sold 22,821 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.86, for a total value of $590,151.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 540,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,973,657.88. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 33,407 shares of company stock worth $855,925 in the last ninety days. 7.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Pinterest during the fourth quarter worth approximately $252,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pinterest by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 10,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pinterest by 45.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 4,748 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Pinterest by 39.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Pinterest by 18.6% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. 88.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Pinterest

Here are the key news stories impacting Pinterest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Elliott is investing $1.0 billion in Pinterest and the company said it will use proceeds for an accelerated share repurchase and near‑term buybacks — a direct capital return that reduces float and supports EPS. Pinterest Announces $1 Billion Strategic Investment from Elliott and $2 Billion of Near-Term Share Repurchases
• Positive Sentiment: Market reacted strongly: multiple outlets report a ~8–10% premarket/early trading jump after the deal and buyback announcement, reflecting investor approval of activist backing and buyback leverage. Pinterest stock jumps 10% on $1B Elliott investment, buyback plan
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Elliott’s activist posture and AI growth thesis; activist involvement can accelerate strategic changes (capital allocation, management pressure, product/AI focus) that investors often reward. Activist investor Elliot takes a $1B stake in Pinterest, betting on AI-driven growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Some reports differ on the total buyback sizing (near‑term $2.0B vs. other outlets citing a $3.5B program). Clarify the company filing/press release for exact authorization and timing before modeling impact. Pinterest shares jump 9.5% as Elliott invests $1bn and company launches $3.5bn buyback
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP has opened an investor investigation into Pinterest, signaling potential shareholder litigation risk related to disclosures or the deal; such proceedings can be a drag on sentiment and add legal/settlement uncertainty. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Pinterest, Inc. – PINS
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst action: Argus downgraded Pinterest from “buy” to “hold” recently, which may temper momentum from the Elliott news until guidance, buyback details, or execution clarity emerges. Argus downgrades Pinterest from buy to hold

Pinterest Company Profile

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.