LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Trading 4.3% Higher

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) shares traded up 4.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $48.62 and last traded at $48.26. 105,818 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 245,137 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.29.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on TREE shares. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of LendingTree from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on LendingTree from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on LendingTree from $56.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price objective on LendingTree from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.13.

LendingTree Stock Up 3.4 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.32 and a 200 day moving average of $40.79. The company has a quick ratio of 3.71, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm has a market cap of $633.08 million, a P/E ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 2.11.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $210.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.41 million. LendingTree had a negative return on equity of 2.98% and a negative net margin of 19.02%. LendingTree’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that LendingTree, Inc. will post -0.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingTree

In other news, Director Gabriel Dalporto sold 1,442 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.17, for a total transaction of $72,345.14. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,661.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Steven Ozonian sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.31, for a total transaction of $71,339.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,599.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gabriel Dalporto sold 1,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.17, for a total transaction of $72,345.14. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,478 shares in the company, valued at $224,661.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TREE. CWM LLC increased its holdings in LendingTree by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 16.8% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 78.9% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 1,321 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Finally, Bristlecone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LendingTree Company Profile

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.