LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the nine brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.75.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on TREE. Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of LendingTree from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $69.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

LendingTree Stock Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ TREE opened at $54.95 on Wednesday. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $33.58 and a 1-year high of $62.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $44.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.08. The company has a market capitalization of $736.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.35 and a beta of 2.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. The trade was a 11.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TREE. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in LendingTree by 101.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 2,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth approximately $298,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $899,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in LendingTree in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,045,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in LendingTree by 301.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 16,077 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.