Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Receives $37.68 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages 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 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.63.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Match Group from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res cut Match Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. New Street Research cut shares of Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, HSBC cut Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Activity at Match Group

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of the firm’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 sale, the president now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This trade represents a 99.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Match Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Investment Management Corp of Ontario acquired a new stake in Match Group in the third quarter valued at $317,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Match Group by 168.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 60,610 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,293,000 after acquiring an additional 38,037 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,672,611 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $668,732,000 after purchasing an additional 391,977 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Match Group by 12.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,508 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Match Group by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 103,509 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,917,000 after purchasing an additional 31,516 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.05% of the company’s stock.

Match Group Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Match Group stock opened at $28.48 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.22. Match Group has a 52-week low of $26.39 and a 52-week high of $38.84. The company has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Match Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.62%.

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.