Blue Grotto Capital LLC Lowers Holdings in LendingTree, Inc. $TREE

Blue Grotto Capital LLC decreased its position in LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 356,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 26,537 shares during the period. LendingTree makes up approximately 2.7% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Blue Grotto Capital LLC owned 2.60% of LendingTree worth $23,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TREE. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in LendingTree by 272.6% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of LendingTree in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 25.2% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of LendingTree by 281.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of LendingTree during the second quarter valued at approximately $122,000. 68.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of LendingTree stock opened at $39.76 on Friday. 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 1.43, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $49.66 and its 200 day moving average is $56.57. The company has a market cap of $551.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 2.21.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported ($0.39) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($1.29). The company had revenue of $310.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $286.56 million. LendingTree had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 13.55%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that LendingTree, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TREE shares. Zacks Research cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on LendingTree from $83.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on LendingTree from $85.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.00.

About LendingTree

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.