Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Director Deal W. Hudson Sells 2,000 Shares

Key Points

• Director W. Hudson of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation sold 2,000 shares at an average price of $62.39, totaling $124,780, which represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership.
• The company's earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter were reported at $1.51, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.30, with revenue amounting to $393.82 million.
• Analyst ratings for the stock are optimistic, with a consensus "Buy" rating and an average target price of $63.20.

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) Director Deal W. Hudson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.39, for a total transaction of $124,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 61,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,811,529.88. The trade was a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Atlanticus Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Atlanticus stock traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $62.76. The company had a trading volume of 44,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,820. The company's 50-day moving average is $54.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.03. Atlanticus Holdings Corporation has a twelve month low of $30.00 and a twelve month high of $64.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $948.93 million, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 1.93.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $393.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $373.87 million. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.51% and a return on equity of 24.20%. Analysts anticipate that Atlanticus Holdings Corporation will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ATLC. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atlanticus from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATLC. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 198.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 365,278 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $18,684,000 after purchasing an additional 243,053 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 468.2% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,794,000 after purchasing an additional 57,103 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 133.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 93,234 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,105,000 after purchasing an additional 53,312 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,588,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 82.4% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 95,476 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,884,000 after purchasing an additional 43,142 shares in 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.