AQR Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) by 64.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 535,113 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 208,892 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.21% of Match Group worth $17,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Match Group by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 276,775 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $10,459,000 after purchasing an additional 22,887 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Match Group during the 4th quarter worth about $250,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Match Group by 56.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,390,194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $78,733,000 after buying an additional 866,026 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Match Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 54,442 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,907 shares during the period. Finally, Palliser Capital UK Ltd lifted its position in Match Group by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. Palliser Capital UK Ltd now owns 233,594 shares of the technology company's stock worth $7,641,000 after acquiring an additional 101,563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.05% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Match Group

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $7,958,987.74. Following the transaction, the president now owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This represents a 99.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MTCH. StockNews.com cut Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Match Group from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Match Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $36.44.

Match Group Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ MTCH traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $30.38. 5,393,440 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,917,339. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.26. The firm has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.42. Match Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.39 and a 1-year high of $38.84.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a net margin of 15.84% and a negative return on equity of 574.22%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide.