LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Short Interest Update

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 727,000 shares, an increase of 61.4% from the April 30th total of 450,500 shares. Approximately 6.6% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 377,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Insider Transactions at LendingTree

In other news, General Counsel Heather Enlow-Novitsky sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.24, for a total transaction of $45,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 2,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $73,494.72. This trade represents a 38.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Scott Peyree bought 21,045 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $41.69 per share, with a total value of $877,366.05. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now owns 76,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,200,124.40. The trade was a 37.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in LendingTree by 4.9% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,879 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in LendingTree by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,598 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $17,979,000 after buying an additional 14,644 shares in the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in LendingTree during the first quarter worth $349,000. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in LendingTree by 51.1% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,712 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LendingTree from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on LendingTree from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on LendingTree from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.13.

LendingTree Stock Performance

TREE stock traded up $0.50 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $35.19. The company had a trading volume of 171,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,439. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $42.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The firm has a market cap of $476.30 million, a PE ratio of -13.03 and a beta of 1.76. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $33.82 and a 1-year high of $62.49.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.25. LendingTree had a positive return on equity of 0.51% and a negative net margin of 4.72%. The business had revenue of $239.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.93 million. The business's revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that LendingTree will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

About LendingTree

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.