LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at StockNews.com

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on LendingTree from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Northland Securities raised shares of LendingTree from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $65.75.

LendingTree Price Performance

NASDAQ TREE traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $44.88. 173,882 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 237,835. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $601.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.62 and a beta of 1.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.97. LendingTree has a 1 year low of $33.58 and a 1 year high of $62.49.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LendingTree news, COO Scott Peyree purchased 9,794 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, with a total value of $451,797.22. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. This trade represents a 11.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 23.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in LendingTree during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in LendingTree by 248.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth $56,000. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.