Nicholas Investment Partners LP Raises Stock Holdings in LendingClub Corporation $LC

Key Points

• Nicholas Investment Partners LP increased its LendingClub stake by 144.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 419,417 additional shares and bringing its total to 709,206 shares worth about $13.4 million.
• LendingClub recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.44 versus $0.38 expected and revenue of $252.25 million, up 15.9% year over year. The company also reaffirmed guidance for FY 2026 and Q2 2026.
• Despite strong institutional interest and solid earnings, company insiders sold shares in recent weeks, including the general counsel and CFO, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a $23.07 price target.

Nicholas Investment Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of LendingClub Corporation (NYSE:LC - Free Report) by 144.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 709,206 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 419,417 shares during the quarter. LendingClub accounts for approximately 1.0% of Nicholas Investment Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Nicholas Investment Partners LP owned about 0.62% of LendingClub worth $13,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LC. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LendingClub during the fourth quarter worth about $63,580,000. Azora Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of LendingClub by 258.2% during the third quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 2,391,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $36,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723,658 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of LendingClub by 18.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,960,550 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $120,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,861 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of LendingClub by 1,232.2% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,821 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,177,000 after purchasing an additional 680,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LendingClub by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,697,333 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $221,547,000 after purchasing an additional 516,542 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.08% of the company's stock.

LendingClub Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of LC stock opened at $18.05 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.48 and a 200 day moving average of $17.11. LendingClub Corporation has a 52 week low of $10.41 and a 52 week high of $21.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 1.98.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.06. LendingClub had a return on equity of 11.92% and a net margin of 16.99%.The company had revenue of $252.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $249.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. LendingClub has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.800 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.450 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that LendingClub Corporation will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered LendingClub from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $22.50 target price (up from $21.00) on shares of LendingClub in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Zacks Research raised LendingClub from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of LendingClub in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingClub

In other LendingClub news, General Counsel Jordan Cheng sold 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.00, for a total transaction of $93,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 113,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,930,758. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew Labenne sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.00, for a total value of $340,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 234,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,994,235. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 59,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,043,691. 3.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

LendingClub Company Profile

LendingClub Corporation operates an online lending marketplace that connects borrowers seeking personal and small business credit with individual and institutional investors. The platform leverages technology to streamline the loan application and underwriting process, offering unsecured personal loans, auto refinancing, and small business loans. In addition to lending products, LendingClub provides high-yield savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking charter, following its acquisition of Radius Bank in 2021.

Founded in 2006 by Renaud Laplanche, LendingClub pioneered peer-to-peer lending in the United States, helping to democratize access to credit and investment opportunities.

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