LendingTree Shares Fall 7.8% as Meta's Muse Threatens Lead Generation

The Wall Street Journal··US·Read original
4▲0 ▼8Impact / 5
Summary · why it matters

LendingTree shares fell 7.8% to close at $24.02 after the Wall Street Journal reported that Meta's Muse can buy goods online, respond to emails, and complete other tasks a user authorizes, threatening the lead-generation model that pays LendingTree when consumers visit its site to request a loan. Barron's Anita Hamilton wrote that the same dynamic is already hitting travel sites because Muse can book flights and places to stay, with Expedia, Booking Holdings, Tripadvisor, and Airbnb all falling. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and William Tong wrote that if agents take 5% to 10% of travel, ride-hailing, and delivery business, the combined revenue loss could exceed $5 billion, Barron's reported, though that figure is a scenario for travel and delivery rather than a measured loss at either company. The move extends a broader selloff across lead-generation and marketplace names including EverQuote, CarGurus, Cars.com, Instacart, Expedia, and Booking Holdings, whose models depend on shoppers still arriving on a site where ads and commissions are charged. LendingTree is down 53.2% since the beginning of the year and trades 65.8% below its 52-week high of $70.56 from September 2025.

Impact on assets 11

Communication Services▼ · 4 stocks
TripAdvisor Inc
TRIP
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Tripadvisor fell as Meta's Muse can book flights and places to stay, undermining its marketplace/lead-generation model.

CarGurus
CARG
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

CarGurus is caught in the broader selloff of lead-generation and marketplace names threatened by Meta's Muse.

Cars.com Inc
CARS
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Cars.com is among lead-generation/marketplace names whose models depend on shoppers arriving on their sites, threatened by Muse.

EverQuote Inc Class A
EVER
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

EverQuote is included in the selloff of lead-generation names whose models are threatened by Meta's Muse.

Consumer Discretionary▼ · 3 stocks
Airbnb Inc
ABNB
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Meta's Muse can book flights and stays, threatening Airbnb's marketplace model as travel sites fall.

Booking Holdings Inc
BKNG
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Meta's Muse can book flights and places to stay, pressuring Booking Holdings' booking model.

Expedia Group Inc.
EXPE
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Meta's Muse can book flights and stays, threatening Expedia's marketplace model; Expedia fell in the broader lead-generation selloff.

Financials▼ · 1 stocks
Lendingtree Inc
TREE
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

Meta's Muse threatens the lead-generation model that pays LendingTree when consumers visit its site to request a loan, sending shares down 7.8%.

Artificial Intelligence▲ · 1 stocks
Cloud & Digital Infrastructure▲ · 1 stocks
Spatial Computing / AR/VR▲ · 1 stocks
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