Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPSS) Short Interest Update

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPSS) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 307,500 shares, a decline of 36.7% from the January 31st total of 486,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 26,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 11.4 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Consumer Portfolio Services Stock Down 3.4 %

Consumer Portfolio Services stock traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $9.66. The stock had a trading volume of 19,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,630. The company has a market capitalization of $206.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 1.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.52, a current ratio of 19.17 and a quick ratio of 19.16. Consumer Portfolio Services has a one year low of $7.03 and a one year high of $12.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.25.

Consumer Portfolio Services (NASDAQ:CPSS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The credit services provider reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.06). Consumer Portfolio Services had a net margin of 5.59% and a return on equity of 7.59%. The firm had revenue of $105.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.37 million. On average, analysts expect that Consumer Portfolio Services will post 0.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Consumer Portfolio Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

Insider Activity at Consumer Portfolio Services

In related news, VP April Crisp sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.15, for a total value of $27,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 17,212 shares in the company, valued at $191,913.80. This trade represents a 12.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William B. Roberts sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.45, for a total transaction of $156,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 700,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,315,815.10. This trade represents a 2.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 69.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Consumer Portfolio Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPSS. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Consumer Portfolio Services by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 193,181 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,098,000 after purchasing an additional 2,411 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Consumer Portfolio Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 186,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,747,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Consumer Portfolio Services by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 145,220 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Consumer Portfolio Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,309,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Consumer Portfolio Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $960,000. Institutional investors own 47.57% of the company’s stock.

Consumer Portfolio Services Company Profile

Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. It is involved in the purchase and service of retail automobile contracts originated by franchised automobile dealers and select independent dealers in the sale of new and used automobiles, light trucks, and passenger vans.