Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Grows Stake in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 101.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in LendingTree were worth $80,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in LendingTree during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its position in LendingTree by 77.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in LendingTree by 262.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,578 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree in the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree in the third quarter worth about $208,000. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on TREE shares. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on LendingTree from $67.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on LendingTree from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on LendingTree from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Northland Capmk upgraded LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Douglas R. Lebda purchased 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.72 per share, with a total value of $516,360.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 121,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,829,912.28. The trade was a 11.97 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CTO Scott V. Totman acquired 3,750 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $38.59 per share, with a total value of $144,712.50. Following the purchase, the chief technology officer now directly owns 18,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $702,029.28. This represents a 25.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Stock Performance

LendingTree stock opened at $41.27 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $41.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. LendingTree, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $62.49. The company has a market capitalization of $551.37 million, a PE ratio of -15.29 and a beta of 2.07.

LendingTree Profile

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, operates online consumer platform in the United States. It operates through three segments: Home, Consumer, and Insurance. The Home segment offers purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans and lines of credit; and real estate brokerage services.