LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on TREE. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial set a $78.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.20.

LendingTree Stock Down 1.9%

LendingTree stock opened at $43.27 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $603.62 million, a PE ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. LendingTree has a one year low of $32.65 and a one year high of $77.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $39.82 and a 200 day moving average of $44.38.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.32 million. LendingTree had a return on equity of 17.01% and a net margin of 15.02%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,120,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,461,000 after purchasing an additional 421,826 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,078,000 after purchasing an additional 242,947 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Grotto Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,054,000 after buying an additional 228,858 shares in the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Company Profile

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.