Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $87.50.

Several research firms have commented on ATLC. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATLC opened at $58.92 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $56.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.75. The firm has a market cap of $892.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Atlanticus has a 1 year low of $41.37 and a 1 year high of $78.91.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The credit services provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.14. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.51% and a return on equity of 24.20%. The company had revenue of $495.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $503.64 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Atlanticus by 198.9% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 365,278 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $18,684,000 after acquiring an additional 243,053 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Atlanticus by 468.2% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,794,000 after purchasing an additional 57,103 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Atlanticus by 133.5% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 93,234 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,105,000 after purchasing an additional 53,312 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Atlanticus by 82.4% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 95,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,884,000 after buying an additional 43,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the first quarter valued at $1,666,000. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.