AdvisorShares Investments LLC Acquires 1,531 Shares of Match Group Inc. $MTCH

AdvisorShares Investments LLC grew its holdings in Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 15,211 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares during the quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC’s holdings in Match Group were worth $470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 19,671 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 939 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 33,132 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,015,000 after buying an additional 2,429 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Match Group by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 89,987 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,780,000 after buying an additional 10,269 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in Match Group during the second quarter worth $226,000. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management bought a new position in Match Group during the second quarter worth $693,000. 94.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Match Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Match Group from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Match Group from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Match Group from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Match Group from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.56.

Match Group Stock Performance

Shares of MTCH stock opened at $32.30 on Friday. Match Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.39 and a 52-week high of $39.20. The stock has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $35.39 and a 200-day moving average of $33.04.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. Match Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen Bailey sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.72, for a total transaction of $459,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,058 shares in the company, valued at $295,889.76. This trade represents a 60.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ann Mcdaniel sold 5,423 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.58, for a total transaction of $203,796.34. Following the sale, the director owned 21,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $823,979.08. This trade represents a 19.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 24,454 shares of company stock worth $907,839 in the last quarter. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Match Group 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.