What happened
Shares of Match Group (MTCH) were flying higher last month after the dating expert posted another strong earnings report with another quarter of blockbuster growth from its Tinder brand. According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, the stock finished the month up 15%.
As the chart below shows, the stock started moving higher after the company's fourth-quarter earnings report came out on Feb. 6.
Data source: by YCharts.
So what
Thanks to booming growth at Tinder, Match delivered a 28% revenue increase to $379 million, well ahead of estimates at $362 million. Tinder subscribers nearly doubled from the previous year to 3.1 million and monetization of the app more than doubled, helping to drive the wide top-line beat. Operating income grew more slowly due in part to in-app purchase fees, and adjusted earnings per share was flat at $0.29 to increased share count and taxes.
Image source: Match Group.
The stock jumped 8.3% on the report, and continued gaining over the following week on momentum from the results. Match Group shares jumped again by 6% on Feb. 14 on reports that the company was borrowing a page from rival Bumble, and creating an option for female users that requires them to be the ones to initiate chats.
Now what
Looking ahead to the current year, the company forecast revenue of $1.5-$1.6 billion, up 13%-20% from last year, and sees operating income jumping 29% to $467 million. Considering the growth potential with Match Group, especially as it ramps up growth and monetization with Tinder, the stock still looks reasonably valued after last month's gains with a P/E ratio of 35. With surging subscription growth at Tinder and opportunities to fuel growth with new features like the Bumble-like option, Match should have more months like this last one ahead of it.
