Leuthold Group LLC Lowers Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Leuthold Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,711 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,483 shares during the quarter. Leuthold Group LLC owned 0.05% of Match Group worth $4,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MTCH. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of Match Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 25,952 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Match Group by 1.5% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 29,955 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Match Group by 617.3% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the period. River Global Investors LLP lifted its stake in Match Group by 0.9% during the third quarter. River Global Investors LLP now owns 82,382 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Match Group by 17.2% during the third quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $194,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the period. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Match Group Stock Performance

Shares of MTCH opened at $32.77 on Friday. Match Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.66 and a fifty-two week high of $38.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.22). Match Group had a negative return on equity of 574.22% and a net margin of 15.84%. Equities research analysts forecast that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Match Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 19% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Match Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Match Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MTCH has been the subject of a number of research reports. BTIG Research cut shares of Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $32.00 price target (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Match Group in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI cut Match Group from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and set a $35.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Match Group from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Match Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.68.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide.