Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $41.96 and last traded at $41.77, with a volume of 1244 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Atlanticus from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com raised Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Atlanticus Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $621.35 million, a PE ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The credit services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $315.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $309.74 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.32% and a net margin of 8.42%. Sell-side analysts predict that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atlanticus news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,036,339.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 51.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in 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 period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position 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 buying an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Atlanticus by 9.3% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased 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 worth $69,000 after buying an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Atlanticus by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,094 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company’s stock.

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.