LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Trading Up 4.6% – What’s Next?

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) shot up 4.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $52.20 and last traded at $51.74. 112,502 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 230,582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TREE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $65.75.

LendingTree Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $692.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.14 and a beta of 2.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $44.15 and its 200 day moving average is $47.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Scott Peyree bought 9,794 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, with a total value of $451,797.22. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,500,719.58. This represents a 11.16 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 23.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 77.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in LendingTree by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 75,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in LendingTree by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 848 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About LendingTree

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, operates online consumer platform in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home, Consumer, and Insurance. The Home segment offers purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans and lines of credit; and real estate brokerage services.