Match Group spikes 20% after its Tinder app adds 500,000 new users in the second quarter (MTCH)

Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Match Group skyrocketed as much as 20% in aftermarket trading Thursday after beating analyst estimates for second-quarter earnings and boosting its yearly revenue forecast.
Tinder drove much of the company’s revenue growth by gaining more than 500,000 users over the three-month period, a 37% year-over-year improvement.
Match also announced an investment in Egypt-based dating app Harmonica, the next step in its plan for global expansion.
Watch Match Group trade live here.

Match Group soared as much as 20% in aftermarket trading on Thursday after its second-quarter earnings report showed a surge of more than 500,000 new Tinder users. The company also upgraded its full-year growth forecast.

The company — which runs OkCupid, Plenty of Fish and Match.com alongside Tinder — beat analyst estimates for both revenue and profits. The company didn’t give specific figures for its updated yearly revenue guidance, but shifted its expectation to "high teens" from "mid teens."

Here are the key numbers:

Revenue: $498.0 million, versus the $489.2 million estimate

Earnings per share: $0.430, versus the $0.405 estimate

Average Tinder subscribers: 5.2 million, up 37% year-over-year

Average revenue per user: $0.58, up 1.8% year-over-year

Tinder’s massive second-quarter popularity served as the primary reason for the company’s revenue boost, as it drove 46% direct revenue growth over the three-month period. Tinder now has more than 5.2 million average subscribers. The company’s other online dating products saw more modest growth.

The company also announced an investment in Egypt-based dating app Harmonica, furthering its global expansion. Match has already acquired dating apps in Japan and hired consultants to configure its existing products to better fit different cultural preferences.

Match closed at $73.91 per share Thursday, up about 73% year-to-date.

Match Group has seven "buy" ratings, 13 "hold" ratings, and one "sell" rating from analysts, with a $70.12 consensus price target, according to Bloomberg data.

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