LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• LendingTree, Inc. has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a twelve-month target price set at $65.38.
• Insider selling has been notable, with CFO Jason Bengel decreasing his stake by 49.82% after selling 6,469 shares, alongside other insiders who also reduced their holdings.
• Institutional investors have shown significant interest, with Ameriprise Financial increasing its position by 1,747.8% to own over 546,000 shares.

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.3750.

A number of research firms have commented on TREE. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of LendingTree from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of LendingTree from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of LendingTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Truist Financial set a $62.00 target price on LendingTree and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Saturday, September 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingTree

In other news, CFO Jason Bengel sold 6,469 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.86, for a total value of $445,455.34. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $448,760.62. This trade represents a 49.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Heather Enlow-Novitsky sold 1,000 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.14, for a total transaction of $69,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 1,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,075.92. The trade was a 49.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,669 shares of company stock worth $598,331 over the last quarter. Insiders own 23.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TREE. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares in the last quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC grew its stake in LendingTree by 27.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 382,610 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,183,000 after buying an additional 82,131 shares during the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its stake in LendingTree by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 381,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,160,000 after buying an additional 3,415 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in LendingTree by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 357,641 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $17,979,000 after buying an additional 14,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, G2 Investment Partners Management LLC raised its stake in LendingTree by 69.0% in the second quarter. G2 Investment Partners Management LLC now owns 305,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,328,000 after buying an additional 124,806 shares during the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ TREE opened at $63.19 on Friday. LendingTree has a twelve month low of $33.50 and a twelve month high of $77.35. The firm has a market cap of $860.65 million, a PE ratio of -15.56 and a beta of 1.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.26.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $250.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.03 million. LendingTree had a positive return on equity of 25.79% and a negative net margin of 5.33%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that LendingTree will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, operates online consumer platform in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home, Consumer, and Insurance. The Home segment offers purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans and lines of credit; and real estate brokerage services.

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