Comerica Bank Decreases Stake in World Acceptance Corporation $WRLD

Comerica Bank reduced its position in World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 11.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,213 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Comerica Bank’s holdings in World Acceptance were worth $280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRLD. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in World Acceptance by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,909 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in World Acceptance by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 64,584 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,262,000 after buying an additional 7,622 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 33,632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,782,000 after purchasing an additional 4,329 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 50.2% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,164 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of 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 owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total transaction of $750,288.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 42,714 shares in the company, valued at $6,812,883. This represents a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prescott General Partners Llc sold 347,064 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.88, for a total transaction of $60,000,424.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,227,075.52. This trade represents a 89.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 352,170 shares of company stock worth $60,815,032 over the last quarter. 41.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

World Acceptance Stock Performance

WRLD stock opened at $172.15 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 17.83, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $938.22 million, a P/E ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 1.28. World Acceptance Corporation has a 12-month low of $104.99 and a 12-month high of $177.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.24.

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