LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on TREE. Zacks Research upgraded shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial set a $78.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target 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. started coverage on shares of LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LendingTree currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $68.60.

LendingTree Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ TREE opened at $36.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.70. LendingTree has a 12 month low of $32.65 and a 12 month high of $77.35. The company has a market capitalization of $509.87 million, a P/E ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 2.04.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released 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 return on equity of 17.01% and a net margin of 15.02%.The business had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.33 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that LendingTree will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TREE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in LendingTree by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after buying an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in LendingTree by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 4,871 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in LendingTree by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 1,223 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in LendingTree by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 16,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 1,875 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in LendingTree by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $964,000 after buying an additional 2,217 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

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.