Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.2857.

MTCH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Match Group from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Match Group from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Match Group from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Match Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Match Group from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th.

Match Group Stock Performance

Shares of MTCH opened at $37.91 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.93. Match Group has a 52-week low of $28.81 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.30.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $863.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $854.70 million. Match Group had a negative return on equity of 307.45% and a net margin of 18.83%.Match Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Match Group will post 3.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 7th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 7th. Match Group’s payout ratio is 30.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Match Group

In other news, Director Melissa Anne Brenner sold 5,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total transaction of $184,767.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $582,874.92. This represents a 24.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Match Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,275,943 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $680,826,000 after acquiring an additional 2,461,025 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 1.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,483,815 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $385,590,000 after purchasing an additional 162,330 shares during the last quarter. Starboard Value LP lifted its position in shares of Match Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Starboard Value LP now owns 11,395,379 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $367,957,000 after purchasing an additional 325,000 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Match Group by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,799,389 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $316,422,000 after purchasing an additional 872,524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Match Group by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,149,868 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $261,692,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011,970 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.05% of the company’s stock.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc (NASDAQ: MTCH) is a leading provider of online dating products and services. The company owns and operates a diverse portfolio of consumer brands that connect singles through digital platforms. Its flagship offerings include Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyOfFish, which together serve users looking for long-term relationships, casual encounters and social networking opportunities.

Originating with the launch of Match.com in 1995, Match Group has grown through a combination of organic development and strategic acquisitions.