LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on TREE. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Securities upgraded LendingTree from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.75.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of LendingTree stock traded down $1.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.59. The company had a trading volume of 234,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,389. LendingTree has a 12-month low of $34.55 and a 12-month high of $62.49. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.44. 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 stock has a market cap of $691.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.11 and a beta of 1.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingTree

In other news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, for a total transaction of $451,797.22. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. The trade was a 11.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 23.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 301.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 16,077 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 253,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,697,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in LendingTree by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 242,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,393,000 after acquiring an additional 15,400 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 36,946 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 1,728 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 101.5% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 2,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.26% of the company's stock.

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.