80,074 Shares in Match Group Inc. $MTCH Bought by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Key Points

• Artemis Investment Management LLP initiated a new stake in Match Group, buying 80,074 shares in Q4 worth about $2.59 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 94.05% of the company.
• Match Group reported Q4 EPS of $0.83 (missing the $1.00 estimate) with revenue of $878.0M, and the stock trades around $38.67 (market cap ~$9B) after a recent 3.3% uptick.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 ($0.80 annualized, ~2.1% yield), while Wall Street consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target near $36.42 (mixed buy/hold ratings).

Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 80,074 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $2,586,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MTCH. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Match Group by 6,523.1% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 861 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 652.8% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 60,322 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 52,309 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Match Group by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 11,376 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,950 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 69,676 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,250,000 after buying an additional 8,609 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.05% of the company's stock.

Match Group Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of MTCH opened at $38.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.31. Match Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.80 and a twelve month high of $39.20.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $878.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $872.86 million. Match Group had a net margin of 17.59% and a negative return on equity of 289.29%. Match Group's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Match Group Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Match Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 7th. Match Group's payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MTCH shares. Wall Street Zen raised Match Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Match Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on shares of Match Group in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Match Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $36.42.

Match Group Profile

Match Group, Inc NASDAQ: MTCH is a leading provider of online dating products and services. The company owns and operates a diverse portfolio of consumer brands that connect singles through digital platforms. Its flagship offerings include Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyOfFish, which together serve users looking for long-term relationships, casual encounters and social networking opportunities.

Originating with the launch of Match.com in 1995, Match Group has grown through a combination of organic development and strategic acquisitions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.