Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stephens

Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) in a research note published on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $54.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock.

ATLC has been the subject of a number of other reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $48.75.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ATLC opened at $46.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $680.69 million, a PE ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 1.92. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.06. Atlanticus has a one year low of $23.09 and a one year high of $46.62.

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. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.14% and a net margin of 8.39%. The company had revenue of $351.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.64 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.35, for a total transaction of $78,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 64,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,036,339.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.35, for a total transaction of $78,375.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,955 shares in the company, valued at $2,036,339.25. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total value of $39,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,209,151.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 51.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATLC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% during the first 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 grew its stake in Atlanticus by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Atlanticus by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

About Atlanticus

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.