Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Atlanticus a “Moderate Buy” consensus: Of eight analysts, five recommend buying, one rates it a strong buy and two advise holding. The average 12-month price target is $126, above the reported opening price of $100.01.
• Atlanticus exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.50 in earnings per share versus a $2.42 consensus estimate and revenue of $744.31 million versus $716.35 million expected.
• Insiders sold 75,000 shares worth approximately $7.87 million over the past 90 days, although corporate insiders still own 51% of the company; institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15%.

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $126.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Atlanticus in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Texas Capital upgraded Atlanticus from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Atlanticus from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Atlanticus stock opened at $100.01 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $98.04 and its 200 day moving average is $75.25. Atlanticus has a one year low of $47.50 and a one year high of $114.34. The firm has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 2.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Atlanticus had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 26.06%. The business had revenue of $744.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $716.35 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Atlanticus will post 9.48 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atlanticus news, CFO William Mccamey sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.01, for a total value of $1,030,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 127,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,124,504.10. This trade represents a 7.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Frank J. Hanna III sold 15,676 shares of Atlanticus stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.26, for a total transaction of $1,634,379.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 259,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,044,209.92. This trade represents a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 75,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,868,627 over the last 90 days. 51.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atlanticus

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 5.8% in the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 4,526 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atlanticus during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,194 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 9,344 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Atlanticus by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,783 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a specialty financial services holding company that provides credit products and solutions to consumers across the United States. Through its subsidiaries, the company offers proprietary credit card programs, installment loan products and deposit accounts designed to serve customers who may have limited access to traditional credit. Atlanticus markets its offerings through a variety of channels, including direct‐to‐consumer online platforms, mail order, call centers and partnerships with retail and e-commerce businesses.

The company underwrites and services credit card portfolios under private-label and co-branded agreements, combining technology‐enabled underwriting with tailored customer service.

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