LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on TREE. Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Securities raised shares of LendingTree from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of LendingTree from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $65.75.

Remove Ads

LendingTree Stock Performance

NASDAQ TREE traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.77. 128,815 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 231,044. The company has a market capitalization of $693.43 million, a P/E ratio of -19.26 and a beta of 2.14. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $43.85 and its 200-day moving average is $47.19. LendingTree has a 1 year low of $33.58 and a 1 year high of $62.49.

Insider Activity at LendingTree

In related news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $46.13 per share, for a total transaction of $451,797.22. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. This represents a 11.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 23.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in LendingTree by 101.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 2,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth $298,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth about $899,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,045,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in LendingTree by 301.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,244,000 after buying an additional 16,077 shares during the last quarter. 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.