LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Sees Large Volume Increase - Should You Buy?

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 145,981 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the previous session's volume of 174,016 shares.The stock last traded at $39.01 and had previously closed at $36.56.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TREE. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of LendingTree from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded LendingTree from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on LendingTree from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on LendingTree from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.00.

LendingTree Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $514.70 million, a PE ratio of -14.27 and a beta of 2.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 242,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,393,000 after purchasing an additional 15,400 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of LendingTree by 301.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 16,077 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 253,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,697,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 77.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company's stock.

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.