StockNews.com Lowers World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) to Buy

StockNews.com cut shares of World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

World Acceptance Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ WRLD opened at $132.58 on Wednesday. World Acceptance has a one year low of $94.57 and a one year high of $160.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $774.27 million, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 15.98, a quick ratio of 15.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $127.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.16.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The credit services provider reported $6.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $1.74. World Acceptance had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 13.49%. The firm had revenue of $159.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.00 million. As a group, analysts predict that World Acceptance will post 13.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Acceptance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,770 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 4.8% during the 1st 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. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 7,361 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,340 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,786,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 4,171 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About World Acceptance

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.