LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded LendingTree from a "buy" to a strong‑buy in a research note issued Saturday.
• Analyst views are mixed—five Buy and two Hold ratings result in a MarketBeat average of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.60.
• LendingTree reported Q1 EPS of $1.38 (vs. $1.49 consensus) while revenue grew about 36.5% year‑over‑year and management guided FY2026 revenue to $1.3B–$1.4B, fueling intraday volatility despite strong top‑line growth.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial set a $78.00 price target on LendingTree in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on LendingTree in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, LendingTree presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.60.

LendingTree Price Performance

LendingTree stock opened at $38.81 on Friday. LendingTree has a 12 month low of $32.65 and a 12 month high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $541.40 million, a PE ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 2.14.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.11). LendingTree had a return on equity of 19.99% and a net margin of 15.02%.The company had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $321.33 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. LendingTree's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mariner LLC raised its position in LendingTree by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $93,461,000 after acquiring an additional 421,826 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree in the fourth quarter worth $31,120,000. Blue Grotto Capital LLC raised its position in LendingTree by 64.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,054,000 after acquiring an additional 228,858 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in LendingTree by 1,747.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,260,000 after acquiring an additional 516,958 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. raised its position in LendingTree by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 469,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,934,000 after acquiring an additional 121,993 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company's stock.

Key LendingTree News

Here are the key news stories impacting LendingTree this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports TREE’s Q1 results beat estimates, adjusted EBITDA jumped and the company raised its full‑year 2026 outlook — a key driver of the stock’s intraday strength. LendingTree Q1 Earnings Top Estimates, Stock Up, 2026 Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Company press release: record quarterly revenue of $327.3M, GAAP net income of $17.3M ($1.22/sh), and adjusted EBITDA of $42.0M — strong top‑line growth (yr/yr) underpinning the upbeat outlook. LENDINGTREE REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 RESULTS
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $60 price target, signaling analyst confidence and giving the stock notable upside potential. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The company provided Q2 revenue guidance of roughly $305M–$325M and FY2026 revenue guidance of $1.3B–$1.4B (around street estimates), so guidance is not materially out of line but leaves room for upside/downside within the range.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can read the full Q1 earnings call transcript for color on product performance, marketing, and margin dynamics. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets reported a headline EPS miss (MarketBeat: $1.38 vs. $1.49 consensus), reflecting differences between GAAP and adjusted figures — this mixed messaging likely contributed to selling pressure and intraday volatility. MarketBeat Earnings Summary

About LendingTree

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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