Will LendingTree Wither Amid Q4 Headwinds?

BWS Financial's Hamed Khorsand downgraded Lendingtree Inc TREE from Buy to Sell in an analyst note Thursday. Khorsand lowered BWS' target price on LendingTree from $285 to $194. The company is going to face some seasonal headwinds in the fourth quarter, which could have a negative impact on the stock price, the analyst said. (See Khorsand's track record here.)

LendingTree could post an inline third quarter earnings report, according to BWS. It had a strong showing in its mortgage business in the second quarter despite a decline in the mortgage business. The weakness in the new mortgages business and refinancing continued in Q3, the analyst said. 

LendingTree's stock price is based on the recent strong growth of the business , and Khorsand said LendingTree could trade lower as the growth slows down. The company won't be able to grow at its recent rate, because it has been using acquisitions to sustain growth, he said. 

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Photo courtesy of LendingTree.