World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD) Sees Strong Trading Volume

World Acceptance Co. (NASDAQ:WRLD) shares saw strong trading volume on Friday . 18,853 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the previous session’s volume of 39,508 shares.The stock last traded at $117.50 and had previously closed at $115.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

World Acceptance Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $121.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 17.02 and a quick ratio of 17.02. The firm has a market cap of $669.24 million, a P/E ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Luke J. Umstetter sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total transaction of $60,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 14,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,719,665.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 40.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Acceptance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings 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 valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position 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 valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in World Acceptance by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 1,815 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,340 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,786,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.63% 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.