Emerald Advisers LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Key Points

• Emerald Advisers LLC cut its LendingTree stake by 6.2% in the first quarter, selling 22,276 shares and ending with 339,669 shares worth about $14.6 million, or roughly 2.43% of the company.
• LendingTree reported mixed quarterly results, posting $1.38 EPS versus the $1.49 consensus estimate and revenue of $319.07 million, while revenue still grew 36.5% year over year.
• Wall Street remains cautiously positive on TREE, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.20, though some firms recently downgraded or trimmed their price targets.

Emerald Advisers LLC lowered its position in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 339,669 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 22,276 shares during the period. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 2.43% of LendingTree worth $14,565,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree in the first quarter valued at about $234,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the first quarter worth about $730,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in LendingTree during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in LendingTree by 49.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 4,689 shares during the period. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LendingTree Price Performance

NASDAQ:TREE opened at $45.24 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $631.10 million, a P/E ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 2.00. LendingTree, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.65 and a 12 month high of $77.35. The business's 50-day moving average is $39.07 and its 200 day moving average is $44.75.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.32 million. LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. LendingTree's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on TREE. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of LendingTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of LendingTree from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.20.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.

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