Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Shares Purchased by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 58.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 466,347 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 171,286 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Match Group were worth $15,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MTCH. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Match Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,956 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its stake in Match Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 23,149 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Match Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 74,762 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the period. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Match Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ MTCH opened at $30.07 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.62. Match Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.39 and a twelve month high of $38.84.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share 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, research analysts predict that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Match Group

In other Match Group news, President Gary Swidler sold 242,209 shares of Match Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the president now directly owns 1,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,533.40. This trade represents a 99.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MTCH. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Match Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Match Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Match Group from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Match Group from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $36.58.

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.