PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) Lifted to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Separately, JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of PRA Group in a report on Tuesday, May 7th.

PRA Group Trading Down 4.3 %

NASDAQ:PRAA traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $22.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 145,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,442. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.40. PRA Group has a 12-month low of $11.85 and a 12-month high of $31.43. The stock has a market cap of $880.26 million, a P/E ratio of -41.43 and a beta of 1.48.

PRA Group (NASDAQ:PRAA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The business services provider reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.46. PRA Group had a return on equity of 0.33% and a net margin of 0.40%. The firm had revenue of $284.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.04 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.10) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that PRA Group will post 0.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Geir Olsen bought 11,750 shares of PRA Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.39 per share, with a total value of $251,332.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 11,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,332.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PRA Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PRAA. CWM LLC boosted its stake in PRA Group by 90.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PRA Group by 700.0% in the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of PRA Group during the second quarter worth $57,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in PRA Group by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in PRA Group in the 1st quarter valued at $103,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.22% of the company’s stock.

About PRA Group

PRA Group, Inc, a financial and business services company, engages in the purchase, collection, and management of portfolios of nonperforming loans worldwide. It is involved in the purchase of accounts that are primarily the unpaid obligations of individuals owed to credit originators, which include banks and other types of consumer, retail, and auto finance companies.