LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on TREE. Truist Financial dropped 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 reduced their target price on LendingTree from $60.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research lowered LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.33.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TREE opened at $28.96 on Friday. LendingTree has a 52 week low of $27.70 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. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.78 and its 200-day moving average is $39.60. The company has a market capitalization of $406.60 million, a PE ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 2.04.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $315.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TREE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 43.6% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 4,871 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of LendingTree by 12.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of LendingTree by 12.6% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 16,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $621,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 9.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217 shares during the period. 68.26% of the stock is owned by 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.