LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.60.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in LendingTree by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $886,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in LendingTree by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 4,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Swiss National Bank grew its position in LendingTree by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 22,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC grew its position in LendingTree by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 91,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,898,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of LendingTree stock opened at $35.73 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $498.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 2.14. LendingTree has a 12 month low of $32.65 and a 12 month high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.89.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $321.33 million. LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The business’s revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LendingTree will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.