Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on shares of Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a market perform rating and a $33.00 price objective on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on ATLC. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Atlanticus from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $40.50.

Atlanticus Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of ATLC opened at $24.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.27 million, a PE ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 1.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $27.51 and its 200-day moving average is $31.40. Atlanticus has a 12 month low of $23.09 and a 12 month high of $43.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.14. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 26.67% and a net margin of 8.67%. The firm had revenue of $309.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $304.68 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Atlanticus will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Frank J. Hanna III purchased 263,432 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $28.21 per share, for a total transaction of $7,431,416.72. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 263,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,431,416.72. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Atlanticus news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.50, for a total transaction of $61,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 69,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,130,577.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Frank J. Hanna III purchased 263,432 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.21 per share, with a total value of $7,431,416.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 263,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,431,416.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 51.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,655,000 after buying an additional 2,453 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Atlanticus by 7.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Atlanticus by 65.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Atlanticus by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 26,040 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 602,272 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $23,290,000 after purchasing an additional 7,234 shares during the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.