Analysts Set Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) PT at $57.20

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $57.20.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ATLC shares. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Stephens initiated coverage on Atlanticus in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. JMP Securities upped their price target on Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, B. Riley raised Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

ATLC stock opened at $59.61 on Friday. Atlanticus has a 1-year low of $23.09 and a 1-year high of $64.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.62. The firm has a market cap of $878.65 million, a PE ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 2.05.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.04. The firm 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In other news, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $277,291. This represents a 16.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total value of $889,022.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,550.15. This represents a 23.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,504 shares of company stock valued at $962,522. 51.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in Atlanticus by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Atlanticus by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 393.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.