Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Coverage Initiated at Stephens

Analysts at Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) in a report released on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock. Stephens’ price target points to a potential upside of 21.35% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their target price on Atlanticus from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atlanticus has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ATLC opened at $44.50 on Wednesday. Atlanticus has a fifty-two week low of $23.09 and a fifty-two week high of $45.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $655.93 million, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 1.92.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.04. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.14% and a net margin of 8.39%. The firm had revenue of $351.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $326.64 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Atlanticus

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

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Atlanticus by 65.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Atlanticus by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Atlanticus by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Atlanticus by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 258,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,655,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.