Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Boosts Stake in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,935 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,802 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Match Group were worth $2,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boyar Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Match Group in the third quarter valued at $1,376,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in Match Group by 2,732.1% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 1,659,718 shares of the technology company's stock worth $62,804,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601,115 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Match Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 56.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,390,194 shares of the technology company's stock worth $78,733,000 after buying an additional 866,026 shares in the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $7,958,987.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,533.40. This trade represents a 99.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Match Group Price Performance

Shares of MTCH traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,363,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,933,370. The firm has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.49. Match Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.39 and a 52 week high of $38.84. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $30.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.48.

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

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Match Group's payout ratio is 37.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Match Group from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI cut shares of Match Group from an "outperform" rating to an "inline" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Match Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com cut Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Match Group from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $36.44.

Match Group Profile

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.