Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Grows Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 156,703 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,695 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Match Group were worth $5,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MTCH. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in shares of Match Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Match Group by 30,240.0% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,517 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Match Group by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Match Group by 420.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Match Group in the fourth quarter worth about $116,000. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Match Group Stock Performance

MTCH opened at $29.41 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $29.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.94. Match Group, Inc. has a one year low of $26.39 and a one year high of $38.84.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio is 37.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MTCH shares. Hsbc Global Res cut Match Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Match Group from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays reduced their target price on Match Group from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Match Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.91.

Insider Activity

In other Match Group news, CEO Spencer M. Rascoff bought 70,885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.05 per share, with a total value of $1,988,324.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 137,478 shares in the company, valued at $3,856,257.90. This represents a 106.45% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $7,958,987.74. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This represents a 99.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Match Group Company 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.