S Squared Technology LLC Makes New Investment in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

S Squared Technology LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 108,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,795,190,000. LendingTree comprises 1.5% of S Squared Technology LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in LendingTree by 281.0% during the 2nd 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 during the period. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

LendingTree Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:TREE opened at $30.97 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $434.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 2.04. LendingTree, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.77 and a 52-week high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 1.85.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.73). LendingTree had a net margin of 14.33% and a return on equity of 14.57%. The business had revenue of $313.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. LendingTree’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.49 EPS for the current year.

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.