StockNews.com Upgrades LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) to Strong-Buy

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

TREE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. 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. Northland Capmk raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, LendingTree presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.75.

LendingTree Stock Up 5.0 %

TREE stock opened at $45.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $604.74 million, a P/E ratio of -16.72 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.06. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $33.58 and a 1-year high of $62.49.

Insider Transactions at LendingTree

In other news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, for a total transaction of $451,797.22. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,500,719.58. This represents a 11.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in LendingTree by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree during the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.