LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.75.

A number of research firms have commented on TREE. Northland Securities upgraded LendingTree from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on LendingTree from $78.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on LendingTree from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com upgraded LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

LendingTree Price Performance

NASDAQ:TREE opened at $48.70 on Wednesday. LendingTree has a 52 week low of $33.58 and a 52 week high of $62.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The company has a market capitalization of $652.29 million, a P/E ratio of -18.04 and a beta of 2.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $43.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Scott Peyree purchased 9,794 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $46.13 per share, for a total transaction of $451,797.22. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now directly owns 97,566 shares in the company, valued at $4,500,719.58. This trade represents a 11.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 23.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TREE. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in LendingTree by 2,074.7% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 107,998 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,185,000 after purchasing an additional 103,032 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its holdings in LendingTree by 127.2% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 166,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,455,000 after purchasing an additional 93,244 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in LendingTree by 70.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 131,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,092,000 after purchasing an additional 54,368 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 118.0% during the 3rd quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 7,770 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 50,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 199.2% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 64,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,482,000 after acquiring an additional 42,647 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

About LendingTree

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.