Mariner LLC Acquires 421,826 Shares of LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 31.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 421,826 shares during the period. Mariner LLC owned approximately 0.13% of LendingTree worth $93,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 281.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TREE opened at $37.17 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. LendingTree, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.65 and a twelve month high of $77.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $40.64 and its 200-day moving average is $46.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 2.04.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.33 million. LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $68.60.

LendingTree Profile

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.