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

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $68.60.

TREE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research upgraded LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $78.00 price objective on LendingTree in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of LendingTree stock opened at $36.85 on Friday. LendingTree has a one year low of $32.65 and a one year high of $77.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $514.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 2.04. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.77. 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 issued 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). LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The firm had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that LendingTree will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,120,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 374.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 143,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,641,000 after acquiring an additional 113,574 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,423,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About LendingTree

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.