Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $57.20.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JMP Securities increased their price objective on Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In related news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total value of $889,022.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,831,550.15. This represents a 23.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $277,291. The trade was a 16.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,504 shares of company stock worth $962,522. 51.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Atlanticus by 2.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 122,501 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 93,431 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,654,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Atlanticus by 5.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Atlanticus in the third quarter worth about $313,000. 14.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atlanticus Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ATLC opened at $55.98 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $54.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $825.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 2.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Atlanticus has a 52 week low of $23.09 and a 52 week high of $64.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $351.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $326.64 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atlanticus will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation, a financial technology company, provides credit and related financial services and products to customers the United States. It operates in two segments, Credit as a Service, and Auto Finance. The Credit as a Service segment originates a range of consumer loan products, such as private label and general purpose credit cards originated by lenders through various channels, including retail and healthcare, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing, and partnerships with third parties; and offers credit to their customers for the purchase of various goods and services, including consumer electronics, furniture, elective medical procedures, healthcare, and home-improvements by partnering with retailers, healthcare providers, and other service providers.