Applied Fundamental Research LLC Has $4.43 Million Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Applied Fundamental Research LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 20.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,273 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 35,715 shares during the period. Match Group makes up about 3.5% of Applied Fundamental Research LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Applied Fundamental Research LLC’s holdings in Match Group were worth $4,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MTCH. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Match Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,956 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Match Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Match Group by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in shares of Match Group by 1.5% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 25,952 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 617.3% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Match Group

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MTCH shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Match Group in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Match Group from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Match Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Match Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Match Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.68.

Match Group Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ MTCH opened at $30.94 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $33.02 and its 200 day moving average is $34.13. Match Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.66 and a 52 week high of $38.84. The company has a market cap of $7.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 15.84% and a negative return on equity of 574.22%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Match Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to reacquire up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

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

Match Group Profile

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.