LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

TREE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.00.

LendingTree Trading Down 6.7%

TREE opened at $42.90 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $32.65 and a twelve month high of $77.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.15. The firm has a market cap of $586.44 million, a PE ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 2.21.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of LendingTree by 272.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new stake in LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in LendingTree in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in LendingTree by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

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.