Brokerages Set LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Target Price at $72.50

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.00.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter worth approximately $659,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in LendingTree by 861.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,750 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,360 shares during the period. VARCOV Co. acquired a new stake in LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $544,000. Man Group plc bought a new position in LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,029,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,561,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Down 5.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:TREE opened at $40.52 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $50.18 and a 200-day moving average of $56.80. The company has a market capitalization of $553.91 million, a PE ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.75. LendingTree has a 52-week low of $32.65 and a 52-week high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($1.29). The firm had revenue of $310.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.56 million. LendingTree had a net margin of 13.55% and a return on equity of 12.44%. LendingTree’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that LendingTree will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About LendingTree

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.