Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 35.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 469,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,993 shares during the quarter. LendingTree makes up about 1.5% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned 3.44% of LendingTree worth $24,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mariner LLC increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,461,000 after purchasing an additional 421,826 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,120,000. Blue Grotto Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,054,000 after purchasing an additional 228,858 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,078,000 after purchasing an additional 242,947 shares in the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TREE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LendingTree has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.60.

LendingTree Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ TREE opened at $38.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $536.80 million, a PE ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 2.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $40.59 and a 200 day moving average of $46.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. LendingTree, Inc. has a one year low of $32.65 and a one year high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). LendingTree had a return on equity of 17.01% and a net margin of 15.02%.The business had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. LendingTree’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LendingTree 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.