LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Trading Down 7% – What’s Next?

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) dropped 7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $62.46 and last traded at $62.79. Approximately 56,758 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 296,178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Oppenheimer set a $85.00 price target on LendingTree and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LendingTree from $66.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.67.

LendingTree Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.75. The company has a market capitalization of $855.48 million, a PE ratio of 62.01 and a beta of 2.08.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $290.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $278.36 million. LendingTree had a return on equity of 36.30% and a net margin of 1.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in LendingTree by 272.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of LendingTree by 281.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in LendingTree by 11.4% in the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,212 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.