MTCH's fourth-quarter earnings topped analysts' estimates
The shares of Match Group Inc (NASDAQ:MTCH) are up 5.8% to trade at $118.60 this morning, following the Tinder parent's fourth-quarter earnings report. The firm's profits of 63 cents per share topped expectations, though revenue fell short of estimates. What's more, the company cut its full-year revenue growth outlook, citing omicron concerns.
Prior to today's pop, the stock had been in selloff mode since January, after a brief rally to the $120 level was stopped short by the 40-day moving average. The equity is trying on that level again today, while distancing itself from a Jan. 28, two-and-a-half year low of $105.15. Year-over-year, MTCH remains down 21.2%.
Analysts have yet to chime in on this report, but are optimistic on MTCH. The 12-month consensus price target of $163.44 is a 38.1% premium to current levels, while 13 of the 15 in coverage call the stock a "buy" or better.
Short sellers began circling the stock before earnings. Short interest jumped 7% in the last two reporting periods, and the 14.76 million shares sold short make up 5.4% of the stock's available float, or over one week's worth of pent-up buying power, at its average daily pace of trading.
Meanwhile, options traders have rarely been more bearish. Over at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock sports a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.91, which stands higher than all other readings from the past year. This implies long puts are being picked up at their quickest clip in this one-year time span.
Similarly, the security's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.22 sits higher than 94% of its annual readings, indicating short-term options traders have rarely been more put-biased in the past year.
Drilling down to today's options activity, 8,915 puts and 4,071 calls have crossed the tape, or seven times the intraday average. Most popular by far is the 2/4 100-strike put, followed by the 120-strike call in the same series, with new positions being opened at the latter.