A securities class action has been filed against Match Group, Inc. (MTCH) on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired Match common stock between November 3, 2021 through January 31, 2023. This case has been filed in the USDC – Delaware.
Match is a technology and social media company that operates one of the world’s largest portfolios of online dating brands and apps. Match’s most notable dating apps include Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and PlentyOfFish. Tinder, which generated more than half of Match’s revenue during the Class Period, is Match’s largest and most important brand.
The Class Period begins on November 3, 2021, following Match’s announcement of its third quarter 2021 financial results after the market closed on November 2, 2021. In a letter to shareholders, Defendants touted Tinder’s “radical product transformation,” which included recently launched product initiatives such as a new “Explore” feature. Defendants further stated that “[t]he interactive and social experiences within Explore are the harbinger for Tinder’s long-term vision,” and noted that Tinder was working on several other monetization opportunities, such as an in-app virtual currency.
Throughout the Class Period, Defendants continued to represent that Tinder was effectively executing on several critical product initiatives that would drive growth for Match in 2022 and beyond. For example, as recently as May 2022, Defendants assured investors that Tinder was “on track” with these product initiatives.
Investors began to learn the truth on August 2, 2022, when Match announced financial results for the second quarter of 2022 and warned that it expected Tinder’s growth to slow in the second half of 2022 as the result of poor product execution. Specifically, Defendants admitted that “Tinder did not deliver on its product roadmap for the first half of the year,” forcing Match to delay the launch of several initiatives and optimizations that it had previously expected to generate growth in 2022.
On this news, the price of Match common stock declined $13.47 per share, or more than 17%, from a close of $76.71 per share on August 2, 2022, to close at $63.24 per share on August 3, 2022.
Thereafter, Defendants continued to assure investors that Match had revamped the Tinder team and that the new team was successfully executing on the initiatives. For example, on November 1, 2022, Defendants assured investors that Tinder’s “[p]roduct execution is already improving” and that “early results are showing promise.”
Investors learned the truth, however, on January 31, 2023, when Match reported disappointing financial results for 2022, including total revenue that missed Match’s prior guidance. Defendants largely attributed the shortfall to “weaker-than-expected product execution at Tinder, the effects of which became more pronounced as the year progressed.” During an earnings conference call the following day, Defendants further admitted that Tinder had “decelerated as the year went on.”
On this news, the price of Match common stock declined $2.71 per share, or 5%, from a close of $54.12 per share on January 31, 2023, to close at $51.41 per share on February 1, 2023.
The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts, about Match’s business and operations. Specifically, Defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Match was not effectively executing on Tinder’s new product initiatives; (2) as a result, Match was not on track to deliver Tinder’s planned product initiatives in 2022; and (3) therefore, Defendants’ statements about Match’s business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis.