Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,834 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,589 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Match Group were worth $1,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 148.1% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 292,364 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $9,563,000 after buying an additional 174,530 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. acquired a new stake in shares of Match Group during the fourth quarter worth about $327,000. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 50.5% during the fourth quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 26,521 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $868,000 after buying an additional 8,901 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 60,512 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,979,000 after buying an additional 3,163 shares during the period. Finally, Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in shares of Match Group by 81.8% during the fourth quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 866,369 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,339,000 after buying an additional 389,897 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MTCH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $33.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Match Group in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Match Group from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. New Street Research cut shares of Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Match Group from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut shares of Match Group from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of Match Group stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $7,958,987.74. Following the transaction, the president now owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at $55,533.40. This trade represents a 99.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Match Group Price Performance

Shares of MTCH opened at $30.94 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.15. Match Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.66 and a 1-year high of $38.84. The stock has a market cap of $7.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a negative return on equity of 574.22% and a net margin of 15.84%. On average, equities analysts expect that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.62%.

Match Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide.