Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Key Points

• Punch & Associates Investment Management increased its LendingTree stake by 37.8% in the first quarter, buying 177,391 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 647,038 shares valued at about $27.7 million.
• LendingTree reported quarterly earnings of $1.38 EPS, missing analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $319.07 million and rose 36.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, though some firms recently lowered price targets or ratings.

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Free Report) by 37.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 647,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 177,391 shares during the quarter. LendingTree accounts for approximately 1.6% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned about 4.64% of LendingTree worth $27,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in LendingTree by 281.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company's stock.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of TREE stock opened at $39.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. LendingTree, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.65 and a fifty-two week high of $77.35. The firm has a market cap of $544.05 million, a P/E ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 2.00. The business's 50 day moving average price is $40.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.18.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The business had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.32 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. LendingTree's revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on TREE shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated 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 research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of LendingTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of LendingTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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