Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) from a "strong‑buy" to a "buy" rating.
• Analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy (1 Strong Buy, 4 Buy, 2 Hold) with an average price target of $91.25, while several firms raised targets recently (B. Riley to $98, Citizens Jmp to $102) and Zacks upgraded to strong‑buy.
• Atlanticus recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.75 vs. $1.65; revenue $734.4M vs. $691.8M) and its shares opened at $78.93, near a 52‑week high, with a market cap of about $1.18B and a PE of 13.24.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Atlanticus in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on shares of Atlanticus from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atlanticus from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $91.25.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Shares of ATLC opened at $78.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.88. The company's 50-day moving average is $57.93 and its 200-day moving average is $58.57. Atlanticus has a fifty-two week low of $45.74 and a fifty-two week high of $79.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The credit services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.10. Atlanticus had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 22.39%. The business had revenue of $734.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $691.81 million. Equities analysts forecast that Atlanticus will post 8.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlanticus

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Atlanticus during the fourth quarter worth about $105,000. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Atlanticus during the fourth quarter worth about $286,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Atlanticus by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,783 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Atlanticus during the third quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Atlanticus by 49.6% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,340 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 1,439 shares in the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Atlanticus

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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