LendingTree, Inc. (TREE) Soars to 52-Week High, Time to Cash Out?

Core Viewpoint - Tree.com (TREE) has experienced significant stock price appreciation, with a 67.5% increase over the past month and a 63.9% gain since the beginning of the year, outperforming both the Zacks Finance sector and the Zacks Financial - Mortgage & Related Services industry [1][2]. Financial Performance - Tree.com has consistently exceeded earnings expectations, reporting an EPS of $1.13 against a consensus estimate of $0.97 in its last earnings report on July 31, 2025 [2]. - For the current fiscal year, Tree.com is projected to achieve earnings of $4.37 per share on revenues of $1.03 billion, reflecting a 36.99% increase in EPS and a 14.93% increase in revenues [3]. - The following fiscal year is expected to see earnings of $4.7 per share on revenues of $1.1 billion, indicating year-over-year changes of 7.49% and 6.75%, respectively [3]. Valuation Metrics - Tree.com currently trades at 14.5 times the current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is below the peer industry average of 15.3 times [7]. - On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock trades at 19.7 times, compared to the peer group's average of 7.2 times, suggesting it is not positioned among the top value stocks [7]. Zacks Rank and Style Scores - Tree.com holds a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), supported by favorable earnings estimate revisions from analysts [8]. - The stock has a Value Score of C, a Growth Score of B, and a Momentum Score of C, resulting in a combined VGM Score of B [6][9]. - Given the Zacks Rank and Style Scores, Tree.com appears to have potential for further price appreciation in the near term [9].