Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Shares Bought by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,521 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,901 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Match Group were worth $868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MTCH. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Match Group by 617.3% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Match Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. acquired a new position in Match Group during the third quarter worth $57,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Match Group by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Match Group by 420.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 2,652 shares in the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Match Group

In other news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $7,958,987.74. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at $55,533.40. This represents a 99.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MTCH. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI cut Match Group from an "outperform" rating to an "inline" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, February 6th. New Street Research cut Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Match Group from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Match Group in a report on Monday, December 9th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.68.

Match Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Match Group stock traded down $0.33 on Tuesday, hitting $31.70. The stock had a trading volume of 2,023,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,013,193. The stock has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45. Match Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.66 and a 52-week high of $38.84. The company's 50 day moving average price is $33.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.31.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a net margin of 15.84% and a negative return on equity of 574.22%. Analysts predict that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Match Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Match Group's payout ratio is 37.62%.

Match Group Profile

Match Group, Inc engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide.