S Squared Technology LLC Buys Shares of 108,268 LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

S Squared Technology LLC bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 108,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,795,190. LendingTree comprises approximately 0.0% of S Squared Technology LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. S Squared Technology LLC owned approximately 0.77% of LendingTree at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of LendingTree by 281.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of TREE traded up $0.53 on Friday, reaching $28.81. 329,504 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 348,703. The stock has a market cap of $404.49 million, a PE ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.72. LendingTree, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.73). LendingTree had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 14.33%.The firm had revenue of $313.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.56 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial dropped their price target on LendingTree from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $60.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.33.

About LendingTree

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.