Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) Given New $52.00 Price Target at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays raised Match Group’s price target to $52 from $51 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 30% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is generally favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average target of $44.71; Evercore, Susquehanna, and TD Cowen also recently raised their targets.
• Match Group’s quarterly EPS of $0.73 exceeded expectations, but revenue declined 2.5% year over year, paying users fell, and shares dropped 5.1% to $39.92 amid concerns about limited near-term growth.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Barclays from $51.00 to $52.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the technology company's stock. Barclays's target price points to a potential upside of 30.27% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore raised shares of Match Group from a "cautious" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Match Group from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday. BTIG Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Match Group in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Match Group from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Match Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $44.71.

Match Group Trading Down 5.1%

Shares of Match Group stock traded down $2.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $39.92. The stock had a trading volume of 824,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,975,888. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.43. Match Group has a 1 year low of $28.81 and a 1 year high of $46.67.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The technology company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $891.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $892.45 million. Match Group had a negative return on equity of 324.82% and a net margin of 20.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Match Group will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Philip D. Eigenmann sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.70, for a total value of $625,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 19,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $808,521.30. This represents a 43.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Glenn Schiffman purchased 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.63 per share, for a total transaction of $109,890.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 56,370 shares in the company, valued at $2,064,833.10. This trade represents a 5.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold 23,291 shares of company stock worth $976,478 in the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Match Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Match Group by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,572 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Match Group by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 15,463 shares of the technology company's stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Match Group by 3.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 10,327 shares of the technology company's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. Bollard Group LLC increased its position in Match Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 52,928 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,625,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in Match Group by 91.3% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 903 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Match Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Match Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tinder user trends improved. Tinder’s U.S. daily active users returned to year-over-year growth in October, following a similar milestone in September after more than three years of declines. Management also highlighted efforts to improve the app’s user experience and expand artificial-intelligence features. Tinder's US daily active users return to growth in October as Match ramps up AI efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Hinge continued to deliver strong growth. Match Group reported double-digit year-over-year growth in Hinge users, revenue and payers, providing a second growth engine as Tinder works to stabilize. Match Group Announces Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Reported earnings modestly exceeded the main consensus. Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.73 versus the $0.71 consensus, while revenue of $891.2 million was broadly in line with expectations. EPS also improved from $0.62 a year earlier. Match Posts Q3 EPS $0.73
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintained Hold ratings. Morgan Stanley kept a $40 target and J.P. Morgan maintained a $43 target, indicating that Tinder’s recovery is encouraging but monetization and profit growth remain unproven. Match Group Holds at $40 Target
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying operating trends remain soft. Revenue declined 2.5% year over year and paying users fell, raising concerns about Match Group’s ability to convert improving engagement into sustainable revenue growth. Some estimates also characterized quarterly EPS as below a broader Zacks consensus, reflecting differing earnings measures.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter guidance implies limited growth. Match Group forecast revenue of $865 million to $875 million, roughly 1% lower to flat year over year and close to consensus. Management also expects a new 2027 fee-related headwind of approximately one percentage point to margins. Match Group outlines 2027 margin headwind

Match Group Company Profile

Match Group, Inc is a global provider of online dating and social discovery services. The company operates a portfolio of dating applications and websites designed to help people form relationships, including Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, BLK, Chispa and The League.

Its platforms serve users across a broad range of geographies and relationship preferences. Match Group generates revenue primarily through paid subscriptions, premium features, à la carte purchases and advertising.

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