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

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 217,900 shares, a decline of 30.1% from the September 15th total of 311,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 185,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 364,173 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,419,000 after purchasing an additional 22,581 shares during the period. Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 345,892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,386,000 after buying an additional 2,247 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 292,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,182,000 after buying an additional 58,500 shares during the period. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust boosted its position in LendingTree by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 280,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,676,000 after buying an additional 23,995 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in LendingTree by 53.9% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 256,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,868,000 after buying an additional 89,900 shares during the period. 68.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Price Performance

NASDAQ TREE traded up $0.54 on Monday, reaching $60.78. The company had a trading volume of 137,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,706. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $810.81 million, a PE ratio of -6.16 and a beta of 2.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $54.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.51. LendingTree has a 12 month low of $10.12 and a 12 month high of $62.27.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.19). LendingTree had a negative return on equity of 2.98% and a negative net margin of 19.02%. The business had revenue of $210.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.41 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that LendingTree will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on TREE shares. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of LendingTree from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of LendingTree from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of LendingTree from $56.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of LendingTree from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of LendingTree from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.13.

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.