LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives $72.50 Consensus PT from Analysts

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.00.

TREE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

LendingTree Stock Down 6.7%

NASDAQ TREE opened at $42.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $586.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a 50 day moving average of $50.67 and a 200-day moving average of $57.15. LendingTree has a 1-year low of $32.65 and a 1-year high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($1.29). LendingTree had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 13.55%.The company had revenue of $310.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.56 million. LendingTree’s quarterly revenue was up 22.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that LendingTree will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TREE. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in LendingTree by 272.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About LendingTree

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.