Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) Cut to Hold at HSBC

HSBC lowered shares of Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. HSBC currently has $24.90 price objective on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on PINS. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Pinterest from $41.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pinterest in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Pinterest from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Pinterest from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Pinterest from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pinterest currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.00.

Pinterest Price Performance

PINS stock opened at $22.11 on Friday. Pinterest has a fifty-two week low of $21.83 and a fifty-two week high of $40.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $26.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.15.

Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.04). Pinterest had a net margin of 48.99% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Pinterest will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Wanjiku Juanita Walcott sold 74,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,991,123.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 301,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,099,644.46. This represents a 19.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Malik Ducard sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.86, for a total value of $155,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 699,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,096,129.78. The trade was a 0.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 105,161 shares of company stock worth $2,796,466 in the last three months. 7.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pinterest

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pinterest by 282.7% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pinterest during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Pinterest by 505.7% in the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Pinterest by 3,839.1% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pinterest during the second quarter worth $40,000. 88.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pinterest News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pinterest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market bulls argue 2026 is a “year of efficiency” — recent layoffs and cost cuts could unlock durable margin expansion and higher free cash flow, giving upside if execution continues. Pinterest: The ‘Year Of Efficiency’ Has Arrived, And I’m Loading Up
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary suggests layoffs and tighter cost structure could materially boost margins and valuation in 2026 if revenue holds, framing current weakness as a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Pinterest stock: why layoffs could drive it much higher in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Buy-side pieces highlight the tvScientific acquisition as a strategic lever for closed‑loop attribution and CTV ad growth, which could accelerate monetization and justify a higher multiple if integration succeeds. Pinterest: Buying The Attribution Singularity At Value Prices
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets frame the multi‑year share decline as a rare buying opportunity based on low forward P/E and potential margin recovery; these stories may attract value investors looking for mean reversion. Is Pinterest (PINS) Offering A Rare Opportunity After A Sharp Multi‑Year Share Price Slide
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes the stock’s recent underperformance vs. peers and summarizes intraday moves, helpful context but not new fundamental news. Why Pinterest (PINS) Dipped More Than Broader Market Today
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded PINS from Buy to Hold with a $24.90 target — a sign of analyst caution that can limit near‑term momentum despite upside to the target. Finviz (HSBC downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz launched an investor investigation into Pinterest, introducing legal/settlement risk that can pressure sentiment and increase uncertainty for investors. Pomerantz investor alert
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis arguing Pinterest’s model doesn’t fit typical social media multiples warns the market is discounting the stock because margin durability in downturns is unproven — a thematic headwind for re‑rating. Pinterest’s Business Model Doesn’t Fit Typical Social Media Valuations

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.