NEW YORK — Shares of Yelp Inc. rose nearly 3% on Thursday, offering a modest lift to a stock that has lost more than a third of its value this year as investors weigh the online reviews company's new advertising partnership with Amazon against slowing growth in its core business.

Yelp shares were up 51 cents, or 2.77%, at $18.91 on the New York Stock Exchange as of 1:36 p.m. EDT. There was no immediate company-specific announcement tied to the move.

Even with Thursday's gain, the stock remains near the bottom of its trading range. Over the past year, Yelp shares have moved between a low of $17.27 and a high of $34.49. The stock began 2026 at $30.38, meaning it is down roughly 38% year to date at Thursday's price.

Amazon partnership puts Yelp at the checkout

The most significant recent development for the San Francisco-based company came late last month, when Amazon's advertising unit unveiled a new ad product built around Yelp's network of local businesses.

On Sept. 29, Amazon Ads announced Sponsored Services, a format that places local service professionals in front of shoppers right after they buy or search for something that may need installation or follow-up work. Yelp supplies the businesses, and the format is available to Yelp advertisers in eligible home and auto services categories in the United States.

The ads run on Amazon product detail pages, order confirmation pages and package tracking pages. In Amazon's example, a shopper who buys a kitchen faucet could then see an ad for a local plumber on the order confirmation page. Shoppers can call the business or request a price quote without leaving Amazon.

Categories include plumbers,........

© International Business Times