LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) reported Q4 EPS of $1.22, $0.25 worse than the analyst estimate of $1.47. Revenue for the quarter came in at $202.7 million versus the consensus estimate of $208.33 million.

Fourth Quarter 2018 Financial Highlights

• Record consolidated revenue of $202.7 million represents an increase of 26% over revenue in the fourth quarter 2017.
• GAAP net income from continuing operations of $0.3 million, or $.02 per diluted share.
• Record Variable Marketing Margin of $78.6 million represents 39% of revenue and grew 40% over fourth quarter 2017.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $39.4 million increased 33% over fourth quarter 2017.
• Adjusted Net Income per share of $1.22 represents growth of 45% over fourth quarter 2017.
• During the quarter, the company repurchased 174 thousand shares of its stock at a weighted-average price per share of $203 for aggregate consideration of $35.4 million.
• On February 20, 2019, the Company\'s Board of Directors approved an additional $150 million in share repurchase authorization. With that increase, $181.2 million in share repurchase authorization remained available.

"The fourth quarter capped off another terrific year for LendingTree. The strategic diversification of our business over the last several years enabled us to successfully navigate a difficult mortgage environment in 2018 and will continue to be a competitive advantage for us in the years to come,\" said Doug Lebda, Chairman and CEO. "In addition to the diversification that has clearly taken shape, we made great progress on several strategic initiatives including increasing organic traffic through the build-out of My LendingTree. We now have the infrastructure in place to execute brand marketing profitably and at scale, and we continue to invest in improving the mortgage experience for both borrowers and lenders. And with our entry into the insurance category, we\'ve greatly expanded our addressable market and the number of ways in which we can help consumers make smarter financial decisions."

J.D. Moriarty, Chief Financial Officer, added "We're incredibly pleased with the progress we made in 2018 and encouraged by the trends we\'re starting to see this year. Our recently acquired insurance businesses are performing well. A few of our smaller non-mortgage businesses are emerging as real contributors to growth. And the early results from our increasing brand spend are promising. At this point in the year, we're happy to be increasing our full-year outlook to primarily reflect the recent ValuePenguin acquisition."

GUIDANCE:

LendingTree sees Q1 2019 revenue of $235-245 million, versus the consensus of $234.49 million.

LendingTree sees FY2019 revenue of $1.01-1.045 billion, versus the consensus of $1.02 billion.

Business Outlook - 2019

LendingTree is providing Revenue, Variable Marketing Margin and Adjusted EBITDA guidance for the first quarter of 2019 and increasing guidance for full-year 2019, as follows:

For first quarter 2019:

• Revenue is anticipated to be in the range of $235 - $245 million, or 30% - 35% over first quarter of 2018.
• Variable Marketing Margin is expected to be in the range of $82 - $86 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA is anticipated to be in the range of $37 - $40 million, or 17% - 26% over first quarter of 2018.

For full-year 2019:

• Revenue is now anticipated to be in the range of $1,010 - $1,045 million, up from prior range of $990 - $1,030 million, and representing growth of 32% - 37% over 2018.
• Variable Marketing Margin is expected to be in the range of $385 - $400 million, up from prior range of $365 - $385 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA is now anticipated to be in the range of $205 - $215 million, up from prior range of $195 - $205 million, and representing growth of 34% - 40% over 2018.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on LendingTree (TREE) click here.