Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Stock Keeps "Buy" Rating at B. Riley Financial

Key Points

• B. Riley reaffirmed its “Buy” rating on Atlanticus and raised its price target from $119 to $125, implying about 56% upside from the share price cited in the report.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: MarketBeat reports an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $127.86, though some firms rate the stock “Hold.”
• Atlanticus slightly beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.00 versus a $2.99 consensus estimate and revenue of $775.85 million versus estimates of $775.08 million.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by research analysts at B. Riley Financial in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $125.00 price target on the credit services provider's stock, up from their prior price target of $119.00. B. Riley Financial's price objective indicates a potential upside of 55.97% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on ATLC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atlanticus from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on Atlanticus from $179.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on Atlanticus from $110.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atlanticus currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.86.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Atlanticus stock traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $80.14. 1,522 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 112,867. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Atlanticus has a 12-month low of $47.50 and a 12-month high of $114.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.42. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.06 and a beta of 1.80.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The credit services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $775.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $775.08 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 27.37% and a net margin of 7.65%. Equities analysts forecast that Atlanticus will post 9.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus during the second quarter valued at $43,535,000. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,161,293. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,286,000. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Atlanticus by 12.3% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 27,401 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,398,000 after buying an additional 3,006 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,281,000. Institutional investors own 14.15% of the company's stock.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a financial technology and consumer finance company that provides credit products to consumers, including people who may have limited access to traditional credit. It works with banks, retailers and other partners to offer credit cards, installment loans and point-of-sale financing. The company's offerings include general-purpose and private-label credit cards, as well as financing for purchases in areas such as healthcare and home improvement. Atlanticus also provides financing solutions through relationships with auto dealers and other businesses.

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