Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Short Interest Update

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) saw a large decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 327,500 shares, a decline of 17.6% from the May 31st total of 397,300 shares. Approximately 6.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 17,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 18.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ATLC shares. StockNews.com downgraded Atlanticus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on Atlanticus in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atlanticus has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

Atlanticus stock traded up $1.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.10. 13,429 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,362. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. Atlanticus has a 12-month low of $23.09 and a 12-month high of $43.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.45. The stock has a market cap of $445.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.10 and a beta of 1.88.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 10th. The credit services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.11. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 26.67% and a net margin of 8.67%. The business had revenue of $290.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $309.78 million. Equities research analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.05, for a total value of $31,260.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 68,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,788,462.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.05, for a total value of $31,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 68,655 shares in the company, valued at $1,788,462.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Frank J. Hanna III acquired 263,432 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.21 per share, for a total transaction of $7,431,416.72. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 263,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,431,416.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 51.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the third quarter valued at about $282,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 602,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $23,290,000 after purchasing an additional 7,234 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,655,000 after buying an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Atlanticus by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,700 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atlanticus by 5.2% in the first quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 26,040 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.