Metis Global Partners LLC Grows Position in Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,956 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Match Group were worth $358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 617.3% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Match Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Match Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 126.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,958 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 1,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Match Group by 420.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 2,652 shares in the last quarter. 94.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC cut Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Match Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Match Group in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Match Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.68.

Match Group Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of MTCH stock opened at $31.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s fifty day moving average is $33.24 and its 200 day moving average is $34.43. Match Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.66 and a twelve month high of $38.84.

Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 expect that Match Group, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Match Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Match Group’s payout ratio is 37.62%.

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

Match Group Company Profile

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.