Wall Street Zen Downgrades CLEAR Secure (NYSE:YOU) to Buy

CLEAR Secure (NYSE:YOU) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of CLEAR Secure from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of CLEAR Secure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $70.00 price objective on CLEAR Secure in a research note on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on CLEAR Secure in a report on Monday, August 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on CLEAR Secure from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.71.

CLEAR Secure Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE YOU opened at $44.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.25. CLEAR Secure has a 52-week low of $29.43 and a 52-week high of $69.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.01 and a beta of 1.04.

CLEAR Secure (NYSE:YOU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.09. CLEAR Secure had a return on equity of 71.51% and a net margin of 14.78%.The business had revenue of $277.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CLEAR Secure will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dennis W. Liu sold 2,104 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.47, for a total value of $93,564.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $705,738.90. This represents a 11.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, President Michael Z. Barkin sold 11,444 shares of CLEAR Secure stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $514,980.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 11,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $519,750. This trade represents a 49.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 18,047 shares of company stock worth $808,615 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 29.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CLEAR Secure

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in CLEAR Secure by 5,221.7% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,437,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,055,000 after buying an additional 5,335,727 shares during the period. Durable Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of CLEAR Secure by 153.1% during the 2nd quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 7,490,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,932,000 after acquiring an additional 4,531,161 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of CLEAR Secure during the 2nd quarter valued at $82,542,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of CLEAR Secure by 6,038.7% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,463,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,859,000 after acquiring an additional 1,439,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in shares of CLEAR Secure by 4,573.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 929,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,790,000 after acquiring an additional 909,152 shares during the last quarter. 73.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key CLEAR Secure News

Here are the key news stories impacting CLEAR Secure this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CLEAR Secure recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equivalent to $0.60 annually and a yield of approximately 1.3%. The dividend may provide some support for income-focused investors. CLEAR Secure dividend and insider trading report
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high at 73.8%, while several funds increased their positions during the second quarter. California State Teachers’ Retirement System reported a particularly significant increase, adding more than 5.3 million shares.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results were stronger than expected: earnings per share reached $0.49 versus a $0.40 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 26.6% year over year to $277.76 million, above expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is mixed but currently averages a “Hold” rating. Five analysts rate the stock Buy, three rate it Hold and one rates it Sell. The consensus price target is $59.71, above recent trading levels, although DA Davidson recently lowered its target to $55 and retained a Neutral rating. CLEAR Secure analyst consensus report
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple executives sold shares totaling roughly $1.21 million. President Michael Barkin sold 11,444 shares, reducing his position by nearly 50%; EVP Kyle McLaughlin sold 4,499 shares; CAO Dennis Liu sold 2,104 shares; and another vice president sold 9,192 shares, or 31% of that executive’s prior stake. The Liu, McLaughlin and Barkin transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, with Liu’s sale specifically covering tax obligations, which makes the sales less concerning than discretionary selling but still creates short-term supply and sentiment pressure. CLEAR Secure executive share sales

CLEAR Secure Company Profile

CLEAR Secure, Inc operates a biometric identity platform designed to expedite identity verification for air travelers and venue guests. The company’s core offering is the CLEAR membership service, which uses fingerprint and iris scans to confirm a member’s identity and provide access to dedicated security lanes at participating airports. Members link government-issued IDs and personal biometric data via the CLEAR app, enabling faster processing through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints and select event entrances.

Founded in 2010 by Caryn Seidman‐Becker and Ken Cornick, CLEAR is headquartered in New York City.