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

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 393,900 shares, a drop of 40.8% from the January 15th total of 665,800 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 299,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LendingTree news, CEO Douglas R. Lebda bought 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.72 per share, for a total transaction of $516,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 121,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,829,912.28. The trade was a 11.97 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CTO Scott V. Totman purchased 3,750 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $38.59 per share, with a total value of $144,712.50. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 18,192 shares in the company, valued at $702,029.28. The trade was a 25.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TREE. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in LendingTree in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of LendingTree by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company's stock.

LendingTree Price Performance

TREE stock traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $46.97. 140,556 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 250,407. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $41.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $627.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.40 and a beta of 2.07. LendingTree has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $62.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TREE shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on LendingTree from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised LendingTree from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $67.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of LendingTree from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $64.00.

About LendingTree

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, operates online consumer platform in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home, Consumer, and Insurance. The Home segment offers purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans and lines of credit; and real estate brokerage services.