LendingClub Co. (NYSE:LC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of LendingClub Co. (NYSE:LC) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.63.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of LendingClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of LendingClub from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wedbush upped their price objective on LendingClub from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (up previously from $14.00) on shares of LendingClub in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Maxim Group upped their price target on LendingClub from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at LendingClub

In other news, Director John C. Morris sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.36, for a total transaction of $35,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 203,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,920,077.28. This represents a 1.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Jordan Cheng sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.83, for a total value of $326,260.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 89,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,325,579.55. The trade was a 19.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,158,610 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LendingClub in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in LendingClub by 32.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in LendingClub by 259.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,267 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 5,247 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in LendingClub by 38.3% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 16,748 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 4,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of LendingClub during the second quarter valued at about $167,000. Institutional investors own 74.08% of the company’s stock.

LendingClub Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LC opened at $15.00 on Monday. LendingClub has a 1 year low of $7.48 and a 1 year high of $18.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $16.02 and its 200 day moving average is $12.80. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 32.61 and a beta of 2.03.

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.06. LendingClub had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 4.02%. The firm had revenue of $201.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.40 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.05 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that LendingClub will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LendingClub Company Profile

LendingClub Corporation, operates as a bank holding company, that provides range of financial products and services in the United States. It offers deposit products, including savings accounts, checking accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides loan products, such as consumer loans comprising unsecured personal loans, secured auto refinance loans, and patient and education finance loans; and commercial loans, including small business loans.