LendingClub (NYSE:LC) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on LC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on LendingClub from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of LendingClub in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of LendingClub from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of LendingClub from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of LendingClub in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, LendingClub presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.00.

LendingClub Stock Up 8.0%

Shares of NYSE LC opened at $16.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74 and a beta of 2.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $19.30 and a 200-day moving average of $17.36. LendingClub has a 52-week low of $7.90 and a 52-week high of $21.67.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.01. LendingClub had a return on equity of 9.62% and a net margin of 13.58%.The business had revenue of $266.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.88 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.08 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. LendingClub has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.800 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that LendingClub will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LendingClub declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 5th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Erin Selleck sold 2,390 shares of LendingClub stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.47, for a total transaction of $46,533.30. Following the sale, the director owned 76,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,487,060.19. The trade was a 3.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingClub

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LC. Azora Capital LP increased its stake in shares of LendingClub by 258.2% in the third quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 2,391,190 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,322,000 after buying an additional 1,723,658 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of LendingClub by 184.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,121,802 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375,002 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of LendingClub by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,960,550 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $120,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,861 shares in the last quarter. Senvest Management LLC lifted its position in shares of LendingClub by 23.5% during the second quarter. Senvest Management LLC now owns 5,881,290 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in LendingClub by 1,232.2% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,821 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,177,000 after purchasing an additional 680,589 shares in the last quarter. 74.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingClub Company Profile

LendingClub Corporation operates an online lending marketplace that connects borrowers seeking personal and small business credit with individual and institutional investors. The platform leverages technology to streamline the loan application and underwriting process, offering unsecured personal loans, auto refinancing, and small business loans. In addition to lending products, LendingClub provides high-yield savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking charter, following its acquisition of Radius Bank in 2021.

Founded in 2006 by Renaud Laplanche, LendingClub pioneered peer-to-peer lending in the United States, helping to democratize access to credit and investment opportunities.