LendingClub (NYSE:LC) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded LendingClub (NYSE:LC) from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" in a note to investors, reflecting reduced near-term enthusiasm for the stock.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—six ratings are Buys and four are Holds, giving a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $22, though firms like JPMorgan have raised targets to $25 while others have cut their ratings.
• LendingClub beat Q4 expectations with EPS $0.35 (vs. $0.34) and revenue of $266.5M (+22.7% YoY), set FY2026 guidance of $1.65–1.80 EPS, and the stock trades around $14.25 with a ~$1.64B market cap.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on LC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of LendingClub from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of LendingClub in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LendingClub in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of LendingClub in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LendingClub from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.00.

LendingClub Price Performance

NYSE:LC opened at $14.25 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 2.11. LendingClub has a 1 year low of $7.90 and a 1 year high of $21.67. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $15.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.23.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.01. LendingClub had a return on equity of 9.47% and a net margin of 13.58%.The firm had revenue of $266.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $262.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.08 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. LendingClub has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.800 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that LendingClub will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at LendingClub

In related news, Director Erin Selleck sold 2,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.46, for a total value of $36,949.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 78,767 shares in the company, valued at $1,217,737.82. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LendingClub in the 4th quarter worth about $63,580,000. Azora Capital LP grew its holdings in LendingClub by 258.2% during the 3rd quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 2,391,190 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723,658 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in LendingClub by 184.1% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,121,802 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375,002 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in LendingClub by 18.8% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in LendingClub by 1,232.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.08% of the company's stock.

About LendingClub

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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