BNP Paribas Financial Markets Lowers Holdings in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) by 36.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 753 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 440 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Atlanticus were worth $42,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,079 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,413 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 229.4% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,168 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of Atlanticus stock opened at $50.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $758.57 million, a PE ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 1.81. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a 12-month low of $25.44 and a 12-month high of $64.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.52.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The credit services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $344.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.24 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on ATLC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atlanticus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.60.

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.