Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $91.25.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ATLC shares. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on Atlanticus from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atlanticus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Thursday, December 11th.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,675 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.72, for a total transaction of $100,031.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 60,467 shares in the company, valued at $3,611,089.24. This trade represents a 2.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 50.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Atlanticus by 468.2% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,794,000 after purchasing an additional 57,103 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 25.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 120,071 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,574,000 after purchasing an additional 24,595 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 2nd quarter valued at about $667,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Atlanticus by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 126,841 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,945,000 after buying an additional 2,812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Atlanticus by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 31,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,093,000 after buying an additional 6,970 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATLC opened at $53.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $797.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97 and a beta of 1.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.12. Atlanticus has a one year low of $41.37 and a one year high of $78.91.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The credit services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.81 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 22.39% and a net margin of 6.21%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atlanticus will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a specialty financial services holding company that provides credit products and solutions to consumers across the United States. Through its subsidiaries, the company offers proprietary credit card programs, installment loan products and deposit accounts designed to serve customers who may have limited access to traditional credit. Atlanticus markets its offerings through a variety of channels, including direct‐to‐consumer online platforms, mail order, call centers and partnerships with retail and e-commerce businesses.

The company underwrites and services credit card portfolios under private-label and co-branded agreements, combining technology‐enabled underwriting with tailored customer service.