Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $36.44.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MTCH. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Match Group from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Match Group from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on Match Group from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Match Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Match Group Stock Up 0.9 %

MTCH stock opened at $30.69 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.42. Match Group has a 12-month low of $26.39 and a 12-month high of $38.84. The firm has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.49.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a net margin of 15.84% and a negative return on equity of 574.22%. Research analysts expect that Match Group will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.62%.

Insider Activity at Match Group

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $7,958,987.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at $55,533.40. This represents a 99.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Match Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Match Group by 9.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 276,775 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $10,459,000 after acquiring an additional 22,887 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Match Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $250,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Match Group by 56.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,390,194 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $78,733,000 after purchasing an additional 866,026 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Match Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 54,442 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,907 shares during the period. Finally, Palliser Capital UK Ltd increased its position in Match Group by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. Palliser Capital UK Ltd now owns 233,594 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,641,000 after buying an additional 101,563 shares during the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.