Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Lowers Stock Holdings in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust reduced its position in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 25,538 shares during the quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned approximately 1.62% of LendingTree worth $14,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TREE. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares during the period. G2 Investment Partners Management LLC increased its stake in LendingTree by 69.0% during the 2nd quarter. G2 Investment Partners Management LLC now owns 305,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,328,000 after buying an additional 124,806 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in LendingTree during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,359,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in LendingTree during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,254,000. Finally, Blue Grotto Capital LLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 27.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 382,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,183,000 after buying an additional 82,131 shares during the period. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:TREE opened at $67.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.75. The stock has a market cap of $922.59 million, a P/E ratio of 66.82 and a beta of 2.08. LendingTree, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.50 and a 1 year high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $290.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $278.36 million. LendingTree had a return on equity of 36.30% and a net margin of 1.34%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TREE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on LendingTree from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on LendingTree from $66.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on LendingTree from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.67.

LendingTree Profile

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.