StockNews.com Upgrades LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) to “Strong-Buy”

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on TREE. Northland Capmk raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on LendingTree from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.75.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ TREE opened at $49.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $43.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.16. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $33.58 and a 1-year high of $62.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $662.20 million, a PE ratio of -18.31 and a beta of 2.14.

Insider Activity at LendingTree

In other news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, with a total value of $451,797.22. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 97,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,500,719.58. This trade represents a 11.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 23.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in LendingTree by 101.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 2,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth approximately $298,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth approximately $899,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,045,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in LendingTree by 301.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,244,000 after buying an additional 16,077 shares in the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.