LendingTree, Inc. $TREE Shares Purchased by Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 35.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 469,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 121,993 shares during the quarter. LendingTree comprises approximately 1.5% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in LendingTree were worth $24,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mariner LLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,461,000 after acquiring an additional 421,826 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,120,000. Blue Grotto Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,054,000 after acquiring an additional 228,858 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,260,000 after acquiring an additional 516,958 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,078,000 after acquiring an additional 242,947 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Trading Up 3.5%

NASDAQ TREE opened at $38.48 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $40.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.41. LendingTree, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.65 and a 12 month high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $536.80 million, a P/E ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 2.04.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its 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). LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. The company had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $321.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TREE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial set a $78.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $68.60.

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.