Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.0714.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MTCH shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Match Group from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Match Group from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Match Group from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Match Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Match Group from $30.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Match Group

In related news, Director Melissa Anne Brenner sold 5,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total transaction of $184,767.54. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $582,874.92. This represents a 24.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Match Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Match Group by 1,163.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,137,898 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $216,791,000 after purchasing an additional 5,652,174 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Match Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $112,641,000. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Match Group by 2,474.5% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,741,573 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $96,832,000 after buying an additional 2,635,085 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Match Group by 14.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,275,943 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $680,826,000 after buying an additional 2,461,025 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Match Group by 196.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,194,368 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $98,099,000 after buying an additional 2,117,414 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.05% of the company’s stock.

Match Group Stock Up 0.5%

MTCH opened at $38.25 on Thursday. Match Group has a 52 week low of $28.81 and a 52 week high of $39.20. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.20. The company has a market cap of $8.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.30.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.07. Match Group had a negative return on equity of 307.45% and a net margin of 18.83%.The company had revenue of $863.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $854.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.44 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Match Group will post 3.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 7th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 7th. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.53%.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc (NASDAQ: MTCH) is a leading provider of online dating products and services. The company owns and operates a diverse portfolio of consumer brands that connect singles through digital platforms. Its flagship offerings include Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyOfFish, which together serve users looking for long-term relationships, casual encounters and social networking opportunities.

Originating with the launch of Match.com in 1995, Match Group has grown through a combination of organic development and strategic acquisitions.