LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.75.

Several brokerages have commented on TREE. Northland Securities raised LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on LendingTree from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. 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 note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Thursday, March 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Scott Peyree acquired 9,794 shares of the 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 completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer now owns 97,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,500,719.58. This represents a 11.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 23.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingTree

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TREE. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in LendingTree during the third quarter worth $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in LendingTree by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of TREE opened at $48.70 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. LendingTree has a 12 month low of $33.58 and a 12 month high of $62.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $43.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.14. The firm has a market cap of $652.29 million, a P/E ratio of -18.04 and a beta of 2.14.

LendingTree Company Profile

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.