Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Short Interest Down 9.9% in September

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 329,000 shares, a decrease of 9.9% from the August 31st total of 365,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 16.6 days. Currently, 7.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock.

Atlanticus Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC opened at $35.08 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.90. The company has a market capitalization of $518.90 million, a PE ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 1.93. Atlanticus has a twelve month low of $23.09 and a twelve month high of $39.53.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The credit services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $315.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.74 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 25.32%. On average, equities analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total value of $39,300.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,151.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total transaction of $39,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,151.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.35, for a total value of $78,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 64,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,036,339.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 51.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Atlanticus by 1.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 7,234 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $771,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Atlanticus by 65.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Atlanticus by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is 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.