American Century Companies Inc. Grows Holdings in World Acceptance Corporation $WRLD

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 17.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,005 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 1.08% of World Acceptance worth $7,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in World Acceptance by 72.1% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in World Acceptance by 570.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in World Acceptance by 876.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in World Acceptance by 48.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,643 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in World Acceptance by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,966 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of World Acceptance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles D. Way sold 402 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $64,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,463,200. This represents a 2.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total transaction of $750,288.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,812,883. This trade represents a 9.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,656 shares of company stock valued at $1,211,983 in the last 90 days. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

World Acceptance Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ WRLD opened at $172.34 on Thursday. World Acceptance Corporation has a 12 month low of $104.99 and a 12 month high of $177.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $165.62 and a 200-day moving average of $146.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 17.83 and a quick ratio of 17.83. The company has a market cap of $939.25 million, a P/E ratio of 11.63 and a beta of 1.33.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($2.19). World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The company had revenue of $132.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.38 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

About World Acceptance

World Acceptance Corporation engages in consumer finance business in the United States. The company provides short-term small installment loans, medium-term larger installment loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services to individuals. It offers income tax return preparation and filing services; and automobile club memberships.