Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Raises Holdings in Match Group Inc. $MTCH

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 100.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 54,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,005 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Match Group were worth $1,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 625,638 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,202,000 after purchasing an additional 115,852 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Match Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,299,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new position in Match Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,360,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Match Group by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 180,949 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,931,000 after purchasing an additional 64,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 816,800 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $26,374,000 after buying an additional 148,700 shares during the period. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Match Group Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Match Group stock traded down $0.47 on Friday, reaching $38.85. The stock had a trading volume of 2,189,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,675,978. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $36.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.48. Match Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.81 and a 1 year high of $39.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.30.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $863.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $854.70 million. Match Group had a net margin of 18.83% and a negative return on equity of 307.45%. Match Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Match Group Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 7th. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.53%.

Insider Activity at Match Group

In other news, Director Melissa Anne Brenner sold 5,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total value of $184,767.54. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $582,874.92. This trade represents a 24.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Match Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Match Group from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of Match Group in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Match Group from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Match Group from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Match Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.29.

Match Group Profile

Match Group, Inc (NASDAQ: MTCH) is a leading provider of online dating products and services. The company owns and operates a diverse portfolio of consumer brands that connect singles through digital platforms. Its flagship offerings include Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyOfFish, which together serve users looking for long-term relationships, casual encounters and social networking opportunities.

Originating with the launch of Match.com in 1995, Match Group has grown through a combination of organic development and strategic acquisitions.