Match Group Stock (MTCH) Jumps as Tinder Is ‘Finally Starting to Evolve the Product’

Shares in Match Group MTCH +2.99% ▲ rose about 3% on Friday afternoon after Morgan Stanley noted that the dating conglomerate’s top dating app, Tinder, “is finally starting to evolve the product.”

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Analyst Says Tinder Event ‘Most Constructive’ in Years

The investment banking giant made the comment after attending Tinder’s first-ever product event, Sparks 2026, calling the meeting the “most constructive” the brand has organized in years.

Nonetheless, Morgan Stanley analyst Nathan Feather maintained his Hold rating on MTCH, with his price target of $35 implying about 14% upside.

Dating Apps Battle Users’ Fatigue

The comment comes as dating apps have been struggling to attract new users and keep older ones as users have grown tired of swiping without landing successful relationships — a trend that has been dubbed “swipe fatigue.”

In particular, Tinder has long carried a reputation in popular culture as a venue for casual sex (also called hookups), even as some critics blame the site for the rise in the number of people unwilling to commit to a relationship in the hope that their next romantic interest is a swipe away.

Moreover, others have grown wary of the rise in the number of fraudulent accounts looking to manipulate others on the site.

However, dating apps have started to look to AI to reverse the fatigue. This week, rival Bumble BMBL -2.36% ▼ , which has also been struggling with a shrinking user base, launched Dates, an AI-powered dating concierge.

Analyst Flags Improvement in Sparks, User Growth

In his commentary, Feather further noted that Match Group is seeing continued improvement in Sparks — conversations on the dating app with six or more messages — and user growth. The analyst argued that this could be an upside over the next few quarters if the development contributes to a surge in the number of monthly active users.

Similarly, UBS analyst Stephen Ju stuck to his Neutral (Hold) rating on MTCH and maintained his price target of $34, which implies about 10% upside. The five-star analyst noted that new product announcements at the event majorly banked on themes harped on earlier, particularly a product-led turnaround.

Is Match Group a Good Stock to Buy?

Across Wall Street, analysts remain cautious of Match Group’s shares and currently have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on the stock. This is based on four Buys and 10 Holds assigned over the past three months.

Moreover, the average MTCH price target of $36.33 implies about 18% upside.

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