LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen cut shares of LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.00.

LendingTree Stock Performance

Shares of TREE stock opened at $40.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $564.63 million, a P/E ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 2.13. LendingTree has a 1 year low of $32.65 and a 1 year high of $77.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($1.29). LendingTree had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 13.55%.The company had revenue of $310.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.56 million. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LendingTree will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in LendingTree during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of LendingTree by 272.6% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 281.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Company Profile

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.