LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 393,900 shares, a drop of 40.8% from the January 15th total of 665,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 299,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingTree

In other LendingTree news, CTO Scott V. Totman bought 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.59 per share, for a total transaction of $144,712.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief technology officer now directly owns 18,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,029.28. This trade represents a 25.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas R. Lebda acquired 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.72 per share, with a total value of $516,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 121,599 shares in the company, valued at $4,829,912.28. The trade was a 11.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 77.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in LendingTree by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in LendingTree by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on TREE shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on LendingTree from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of LendingTree from $67.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Northland Capmk raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of LendingTree from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of LendingTree from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, LendingTree currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.00.

LendingTree Stock Up 1.2 %

TREE stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Thursday, reaching $44.98. 27,769 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 221,542. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $41.31 and its 200 day moving average is $48.32. The firm has a market cap of $600.93 million, a P/E ratio of -16.66 and a beta of 2.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. LendingTree has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month high of $62.49.

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.