Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Buys 177,391 Shares of LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 37.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 647,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 177,391 shares during the period. LendingTree accounts for approximately 1.6% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in LendingTree were worth $27,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of LendingTree in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in LendingTree by 281.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 68.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TREE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Truist Financial set a $78.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of LendingTree in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.20.

LendingTree Stock Down 1.1%

TREE stock opened at $39.00 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.06 and a 200 day moving average of $44.18. The firm has a market cap of $544.05 million, a PE ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 2.00. LendingTree, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.65 and a twelve month high of $77.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.11). LendingTree had a return on equity of 17.01% and a net margin of 15.02%.The company had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.32 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that LendingTree, Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LendingTree Company 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.