Needham & Company LLC Cuts LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) Price Target to $45.00

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) had its price objective lowered by Needham & Company LLC from $60.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on TREE. Zacks Research cut LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on LendingTree from $70.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Northland Securities set a $60.00 target price on LendingTree in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on LendingTree in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.33.

LendingTree Price Performance

TREE stock opened at $31.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 2.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $40.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. LendingTree has a 12-month low of $29.77 and a 12-month high of $77.35.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). LendingTree had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 14.33%.The firm had revenue of $319.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.32 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of LendingTree

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $93,461,000 after acquiring an additional 421,826 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of LendingTree by 74.0% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,020,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,747,000 after acquiring an additional 434,038 shares in the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 37.8% in the 1st quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 647,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,745,000 after purchasing an additional 177,391 shares during the period. Blue Grotto Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 64.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,054,000 after purchasing an additional 228,858 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,260,000 after purchasing an additional 516,958 shares in the last quarter. 68.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LendingTree News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting LendingTree this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Insurance remained a key growth driver, helping consolidated revenue increase 25% year over year. LendingTree also highlighted continued momentum in insurance and plans to expand its use of artificial intelligence across the marketplace. LendingTree Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a goal of converting 45%–50% of variable marketing dollars into adjusted EBITDA and said it expects the small-business segment to recover after reaching a trough in the second quarter. LendingTree Outlines Adjusted EBITDA Goal
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham and Truist both maintained “buy” ratings, although they lowered their price targets to $45 and $70, respectively, reflecting greater near-term execution risk while still implying substantial long-term upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Rising home-insurance rates in Washington may increase consumer demand for insurance comparisons, potentially benefiting LendingTree’s Insurance marketplace, but higher premiums could also pressure household affordability. Washington Home Insurance Rates Skyrocket
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted earnings were $0.68 per diluted share, below analyst expectations near $1.41–$1.46. Revenue of $313.4 million also missed estimates, while higher costs and weaker Consumer revenue weighed on profitability. TREE Stock Down as Q2 Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: The small-business segment slumped significantly, prompting investors to reassess the pace of recovery. Management’s third-quarter revenue guidance of $325 million–$335 million was below the roughly $337 million consensus estimate, adding to concerns about near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: The combination of the earnings miss, increased expenses, weaker Consumer results and a lowered 2026 outlook is the primary reason for the recent decline in TREE shares.

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.