Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Acquires 3,750 Shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)

Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych lifted its holdings in shares of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by 187.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,750 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the period. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych’s holdings in Match Group were worth $188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Match Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. bought a new stake in Match Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Match Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $87,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Match Group by 420.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,652 shares during the period. 94.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MTCH. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Match Group from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Match Group from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Match Group from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BTIG Research lowered Match Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Match Group in a report on Monday, December 9th. Sixteen 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 company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.68.

Match Group Stock Performance

Shares of MTCH stock opened at $31.88 on Friday. Match Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.66 and a fifty-two week high of $38.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.53. The company has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.78, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45.

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

Match Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Match Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.