Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.20.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research increased their target price on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. B. Riley upgraded shares of Atlanticus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $54.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Atlanticus Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Atlanticus stock opened at $57.86 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $58.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Atlanticus has a twelve month low of $23.09 and a twelve month high of $64.70. The stock has a market cap of $852.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 2.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total transaction of $889,022.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,831,550.15. This trade represents a 23.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Denise M. Harrod sold 1,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $55,909.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,291. This represents a 16.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,504 shares of company stock worth $962,522. 51.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the 4th quarter valued at about $119,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Atlanticus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $425,000. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in Atlanticus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $332,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Atlanticus by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 7,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. 14.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.