World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, World Acceptance has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.00.

World Acceptance Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $175.99 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $167.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.16. The company has a market cap of $959.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a current ratio of 17.83. World Acceptance has a fifty-two week low of $104.99 and a fifty-two week high of $178.41.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $122.38 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that World Acceptance will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other World Acceptance news, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.33, for a total value of $167,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,763,454.95. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles D. Way sold 402 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 15,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,463,200. The trade was a 2.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 356,559 shares of company stock worth $61,548,969. Company insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 72.1% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 570.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in World Acceptance by 103.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in World Acceptance by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 800 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in World Acceptance by 876.2% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.