Wall Street Zen Downgrades LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) to Buy

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started 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. Truist Financial set a $78.00 target price on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.20.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of TREE stock opened at $46.25 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. LendingTree has a twelve month low of $32.65 and a twelve month high of $77.35. The company has a market capitalization of $645.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 2.00.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.32 million. LendingTree had a return on equity of 17.01% and a net margin of 15.02%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 5.5% in the first 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 acquiring an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in LendingTree by 43.6% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $595,000 after acquiring an additional 4,871 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in LendingTree by 12.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in LendingTree by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 16,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in LendingTree by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $964,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares during the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.