Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Match Group Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from 20 brokerages, with a 1-year price target averaging $35.44.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share, indicating a 2.0% dividend yield, with the payout ratio currently at 37.44%.
• Significant insider transactions were reported, with directors Ann Mcdaniel and Stephen Bailey reducing their holdings by 19.83% and 60.80%, respectively.

Shares of Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $35.4375.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Match Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on Match Group from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Match Group from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Match Group from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th.

Insider Activity at Match Group

In related news, Director Ann Mcdaniel sold 5,423 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.58, for a total transaction of $203,796.34. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $823,979.08. The trade was a 19.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen Bailey sold 12,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.72, for a total transaction of $459,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,058 shares in the company, valued at $295,889.76. The trade was a 60.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 24,454 shares of company stock valued at $907,839. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Match Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MTCH. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 225.5% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 16,698 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 61.0% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 54,715 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,790,000 after buying an additional 20,740 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 13,650 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in Match Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,355,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Match Group by 615.6% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 54,933 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 47,257 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.05% of the company's stock.

Match Group Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Match Group stock traded down $0.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.73. The stock had a trading volume of 738,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,652,079. Match Group has a 1 year low of $26.39 and a 1 year high of $39.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.03. The company has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.36.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Match Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.44%.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide.