Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Citizens Jmp raised their target price 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, B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.25.

Atlanticus Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of ATLC stock opened at $74.97 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.88. Atlanticus has a 12 month low of $45.74 and a 12 month 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $734.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.81 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 22.39%. On average, research analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the first quarter valued at approximately $71,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 20,442.9% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 334.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,735 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

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.