National Bank of Canada FI Grows Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH - Free Report) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 116,279 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,770 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Match Group were worth $3,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Match Group by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 326,655 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $10,685,000 after buying an additional 49,880 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its position in Match Group by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 5,467,257 shares of the technology company's stock worth $178,834,000 after purchasing an additional 541,556 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Match Group by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,647 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,139 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 266.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 9,627 shares of the technology company's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Match Group by 716.8% in the fourth quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,254,933 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $171,889,000 after acquiring an additional 4,611,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MTCH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered Match Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. HSBC cut shares of Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $32.00 price target (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Match Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. BTIG Research downgraded Match Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Match Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Match Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.63.

Match Group Price Performance

NASDAQ MTCH traded up $0.40 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,745,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,958,400. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.58 and a 200 day moving average of $33.22. Match Group, Inc. has a one year low of $26.39 and a one year high of $38.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a PE 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a negative return on equity of 574.22% and a net margin of 15.84%. Research analysts expect that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Match Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $7,958,987.74. Following the transaction, the president now owns 1,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This trade represents a 99.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Match Group

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.