AQR Capital Management LLC Raises Stake in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE)

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 131,404 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 54,368 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.98% of LendingTree worth $5,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 199.2% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 64,056 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,482,000 after buying an additional 42,647 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in LendingTree by 97.0% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 81,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 40,038 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of LendingTree by 74.6% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 84,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,262,000 after buying an additional 35,970 shares during the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 158.7% during the fourth quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 55,690 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,158,000 after acquiring an additional 34,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in LendingTree by 199.1% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 50,035 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,939,000 after acquiring an additional 33,309 shares during the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LendingTree Stock Performance

TREE traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $38.74. The stock had a trading volume of 499,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,141. LendingTree, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.55 and a 1 year high of $62.49. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $46.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.55. The stock has a market cap of $524.35 million, a PE ratio of -14.35 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $239.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $244.93 million. LendingTree had a negative net margin of 4.72% and a positive return on equity of 0.51%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingTree

In other LendingTree news, COO Scott Peyree purchased 9,794 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $46.13 per share, for a total transaction of $451,797.22. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. The trade was a 11.16 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 23.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TREE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of LendingTree from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on LendingTree from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Northland Capmk raised shares of LendingTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.13.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, operates online consumer platform in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home, Consumer, and Insurance. The Home segment offers purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans and lines of credit; and real estate brokerage services.