Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 189 Shares of World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 0.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 21,412 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in World Acceptance were worth $2,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WRLD. CWM LLC grew its stake in World Acceptance by 122.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance in the first quarter valued at approximately $242,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance in the first quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in World Acceptance in the fourth quarter worth approximately $326,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in World Acceptance by 4.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,329 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut World Acceptance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th.

World Acceptance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WRLD opened at $109.66 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $120.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.39. World Acceptance Co. has a 52 week low of $94.57 and a 52 week high of $149.31. The company has a quick ratio of 17.02, a current ratio of 17.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $640.96 million, a P/E ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 1.39.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The credit services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.10. World Acceptance had a net margin of 13.80% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The company had revenue of $129.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that World Acceptance Co. will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other World Acceptance news, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 500 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total value of $60,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,719,665.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

World Acceptance Company Profile

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