Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Price Target to $66.00

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) had its target price reduced by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $73.00 to $66.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target indicates a potential upside of 63.89% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on TREE. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Northland Securities upgraded LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Northland Capmk raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.86.

LendingTree Price Performance

LendingTree stock opened at $40.27 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. LendingTree has a 1 year low of $33.58 and a 1 year high of $62.49. The company has a market capitalization of $538.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.91 and a beta of 2.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CTO Scott V. Totman acquired 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $38.59 per share, with a total value of $144,712.50. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 18,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $702,029.28. This trade represents a 25.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Douglas R. Lebda bought 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.72 per share, for a total transaction of $516,360.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 121,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,829,912.28. The trade was a 11.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 23.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in LendingTree during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in LendingTree by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

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.