Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Shares Purchased by Prudential PLC

Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) by 159.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,070 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,153 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Match Group were worth $1,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MTCH. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Match Group by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the technology company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 420.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,652 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Match Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,071 shares of the technology company's stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 2,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Match Group by 17.2% during the third quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the technology company's stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the president now owns 1,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This represents a 99.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MTCH shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $32.00 price target (down from $40.00) on shares of Match Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Match Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. New Street Research lowered shares of Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Match Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Match Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.63.

Match Group Stock Performance

Shares of MTCH traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.48. 3,745,862 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,956,827. Match Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.39 and a 52-week high of $38.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.19. The firm has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.49.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. Match Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.