Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ATLC shares. JMP Securities upped their target price on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Stephens started coverage on Atlanticus in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley increased their price objective on Atlanticus from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.35, for a total transaction of $78,375.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 64,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,036,339.25. The trade was a 3.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total transaction of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,659 shares in the company, valued at $277,291. The trade was a 16.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,200 shares of company stock valued at $191,175. 51.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,655,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Atlanticus by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 122,501 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after acquiring an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Atlanticus by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 93,431 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Atlanticus during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,654,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Atlanticus by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

Atlanticus Trading Up 5.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC traded up $2.90 during trading on Thursday, reaching $54.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 15,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,622. The stock has a market capitalization of $801.41 million, a PE ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 1.92. Atlanticus has a 12 month low of $23.09 and a 12 month high of $54.37. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $351.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $326.64 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.14% and a net margin of 8.39%. On average, research analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation, a financial technology company, provides credit and related financial services and products to customers the United States. It operates in two segments, Credit as a Service, and Auto Finance. The Credit as a Service segment originates a range of consumer loan products, such as private label and general purpose credit cards originated by lenders through various channels, including retail and healthcare, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing, and partnerships with third parties; and offers credit to their customers for the purchase of various goods and services, including consumer electronics, furniture, elective medical procedures, healthcare, and home-improvements by partnering with retailers, healthcare providers, and other service providers.