LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Short Interest Update

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 846,359 shares, a decrease of 48.7% from the July 30th total of 1,651,293 shares. Approximately 6.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 572,934 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

LendingTree Price Performance

TREE stock opened at $28.04 on Tuesday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.47. The company has a market capitalization of $393.68 million, a P/E ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 2.04. LendingTree has a 52-week low of $27.51 and a 52-week high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 14.33%.The company had revenue of $313.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.56 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that LendingTree will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on TREE shares. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on 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 cut 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. Northland Securities set a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TREE. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is currently 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.