LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded LendingTree from a "hold" to a "buy"; overall analyst coverage is mixed but positive with five Buy ratings, two Holds and a consensus price target of $67.40.
• LendingTree reported Q4 earnings of ($0.39) EPS, missing the $0.90 consensus while revenue beat at $310.92 million (up 22.3% year-over-year).
• The stock opened at $47.96 with a 1‑year range of $32.65–$77.35, a market cap of about $664.7 million and a reported PE ratio of 4.47, while institutions own roughly 68.3% of shares.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research downgraded LendingTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on LendingTree in a report on Tuesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Five 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 $67.40.

LendingTree Trading Up 2.3%

NASDAQ TREE opened at $47.96 on Friday. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $32.65 and a 1-year high of $77.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.47 and a 200-day moving average of $51.42. The firm has a market cap of $664.73 million, a PE ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 2.13.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($1.29). LendingTree had a net margin of 13.55% and a return on equity of 12.44%. The company had revenue of $310.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $286.56 million. LendingTree's revenue was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that LendingTree will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TREE. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at $31,120,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in LendingTree by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $93,461,000 after purchasing an additional 421,826 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $17,078,000 after purchasing an additional 242,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Grotto Capital LLC boosted its stake in LendingTree by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,054,000 after purchasing an additional 228,858 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company's stock.

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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