Investors Swipe Left on Match After Earnings

Match released its third quarter financial results after the markets closed on Tuesday. The dating service said that it had $0.51 in earnings per share (EPS) and $541.5 million in revenue, compared with consensus estimates that called for $0.42 in…

Published November 5, 2019, 4:28pm ET · 2 min read

A close-up, angled shot of a smartphone screen displaying the Tinder logo. The logo features the word 'tinder' in orange lowercase letters, with a red-orange flame icon above the 'i', all set against a bright white background. The phone's dark bezel and a dark textured surface are visible around the screen.
As Bumble considers a potential $1 billion take-private deal, competitor Tinder illustrates the dynamic and competitive landscape of the online dating market. © Leon Neal / Getty Images

Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH | MTCH Price Prediction) released its third quarter financial results after the markets closed on Tuesday. The dating service said that it had $0.51 in earnings per share (EPS) and $541.5 million in revenue, compared with consensus estimates that called for $0.42 in EPS and $540.58 million in revenue. The same period from last year had $0.39 in EPS and $443.94 million in revenue.

Total revenue grew 22% over the prior year quarter, and 24% excluding foreign exchange effects.

During the latest quarter, average subscribers increased 19% to 9.6 million, up from 8.1 million in the prior-year quarter.

Out of this, Tinder average subscribers were 5.7 million in the second quarter of 2019, increasing 437,000 sequentially and 1.6 million year over year.

Average revenue per user grew 4% over the prior-year quarter to $0.59. Excluding foreign exchange effects, it was $0.60, an increase of 6% year over year.

At the end of the quarter, the company had $366 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.6 billion of long-term debt.

Match repurchased an additional 0.3 million shares using $24 million in cash on a trade date basis at an average price of $73.64. In August 2019, the board authorized an increase of 10 million shares in the previously announced share repurchase program. As of November 1, 2019, a total of 9.9 million shares remain available under the repurchase program.

Shares of Match closed Tuesday at $68.77, with a 52-week range of $33.30 to $95.32. The consensus analyst price target is $90.00. Following the announcement, the stock was down 14% at $59.00 in the after-hours session.

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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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