Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Invests $1.42 Million in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 21,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned 0.16% of LendingTree at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares during the period. Blue Grotto Capital LLC increased its stake in LendingTree by 27.3% in the second quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 382,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,183,000 after purchasing an additional 82,131 shares in the last quarter. G2 Investment Partners Management LLC raised its holdings in LendingTree by 69.0% in the second quarter. G2 Investment Partners Management LLC now owns 305,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,328,000 after purchasing an additional 124,806 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 7.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 267,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,909,000 after purchasing an additional 18,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,078,000 after purchasing an additional 242,947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Performance

TREE opened at $41.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $572.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 2.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $48.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.62. LendingTree, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.65 and a 1 year high of $77.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $310.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.56 million. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that LendingTree, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LendingTree currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.00.

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.