LendingClub (NYSE:LC) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of LendingClub (NYSE:LC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on LC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of LendingClub from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised their price objective on LendingClub from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of LendingClub in a report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on LendingClub from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of LendingClub in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LendingClub currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

LendingClub Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of LC stock opened at $15.51 on Friday. LendingClub has a 12-month low of $7.90 and a 12-month high of $21.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 2.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $18.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.52.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $266.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.88 million. LendingClub had a return on equity of 9.47% and a net margin of 13.58%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.08 earnings per share. LendingClub has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.800 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.390 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that LendingClub will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

LendingClub announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Erin Selleck sold 2,390 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.47, for a total value of $46,533.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 76,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,487,060.19. This represents a 3.03% 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. Insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LendingClub

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LendingClub by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 27,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 5,765 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in LendingClub by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 37,769 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 3,344 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC acquired a new position in LendingClub in the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. Trexquant Investment LP raised its position in LendingClub by 47.3% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 630,392 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $11,940,000 after purchasing an additional 202,405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of LendingClub by 120.1% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 291,200 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,515,000 after purchasing an additional 158,881 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.08% of the company’s stock.

About LendingClub

LendingClub Corporation operates an online lending marketplace that connects borrowers seeking personal and small business credit with individual and institutional investors. The platform leverages technology to streamline the loan application and underwriting process, offering unsecured personal loans, auto refinancing, and small business loans. In addition to lending products, LendingClub provides high-yield savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking charter, following its acquisition of Radius Bank in 2021.

Founded in 2006 by Renaud Laplanche, LendingClub pioneered peer-to-peer lending in the United States, helping to democratize access to credit and investment opportunities.