LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.71.

Several research analysts have weighed in on TREE shares. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on LendingTree from $67.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on LendingTree from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Northland Securities upgraded LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on LendingTree from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

Insider Activity at LendingTree

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

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in LendingTree during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 77.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of TREE stock opened at $40.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. LendingTree has a fifty-two week low of $33.58 and a fifty-two week high of $62.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.98. The firm has a market cap of $539.69 million, a P/E ratio of -14.96 and a beta of 2.07.

LendingTree Company Profile

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.