Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Takes Position in Match Group Inc. $MTCH

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new stake of 785,383 shares in Match Group during Q4, valued at about $25.36 million and representing roughly 0.33% of the company.
• Multiple large institutions — including AQR, Holocene, State Street and LSV — significantly increased their MTCH positions (AQR added ~5.65M shares), with institutional investors now owning about 94.05% of the stock.
• Fundamentals are mixed: Match missed Q4 EPS ($0.83 vs. $1.00 expected) despite a slight revenue beat, while it raised the quarterly dividend to $0.20 (annualized $0.80, ~2.5% yield).

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new stake in Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 785,383 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $25,360,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned approximately 0.33% of Match Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MTCH. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Match Group by 1,163.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,137,898 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $216,791,000 after buying an additional 5,652,174 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Match Group by 2,474.5% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,741,573 shares of the technology company's stock worth $96,832,000 after buying an additional 2,635,085 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Match Group by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,275,943 shares of the technology company's stock worth $680,826,000 after buying an additional 2,461,025 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Match Group by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,770,780 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $168,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in Match Group by 69.7% in the 3rd quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 2,581,589 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $91,182,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060,038 shares during the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Match Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in March — short interest totaled 9,957,022 shares as of March 31, down ~23% from mid‑March, reducing the potential for a short‑squeeze and lowering immediate downside pressure from short covering. The days‑to‑cover is ~1.0 based on high average volume, and only ~4.3% of float is short sold. (Lower short exposure is supportive for the stock.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo initiated coverage/upgraded Match to “hold,” which brings new institutional attention but is not a bullish endorsement. Coverage can increase liquidity and visibility without materially changing consensus expectations. Wells Fargo / Zacks Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary shows mixed performance — Match has shown occasional intraday gains but continues to underperform broader indices, suggesting relative weakness even when the stock ticks up. MarketWatch
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly earnings missed EPS expectations (reported $0.83 vs. $1.00 expected) even as revenue modestly beat. The EPS shortfall and a high negative ROE flagged in results keep investor focus on margin and profitability recovery, which can pressure the stock. (Analysts still model ~2.44 EPS for the year, but the miss raises execution risk.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/valuation context: price is trading near its 50‑day moving average with a 52‑week range of ~$26.80–$39.20, a P/E around 13.3 and a market cap near $7.4B. Lower-than‑average intraday volume today suggests the move may lack strong conviction from institutional traders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MTCH. Wolfe Research set a $43.00 target price on shares of Match Group and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Match Group in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Match Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Match Group from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Match Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.64.

Match Group Price Performance

Shares of Match Group stock opened at $31.70 on Monday. Match Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.80 and a 52-week high of $39.20. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $31.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.14. The firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.30.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.17). Match Group had a negative return on equity of 289.29% and a net margin of 17.59%.The company had revenue of $878.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $872.86 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Match Group Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Match Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. This is an increase from Match Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Match Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.61%.

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.

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