Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in shares of World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,161 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $522,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.06% of World Acceptance as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WRLD. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in World Acceptance during the first quarter worth $1,356,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in World Acceptance by 17.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 62,019 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,849,000 after acquiring an additional 9,005 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new position in World Acceptance during the first quarter worth $1,136,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in World Acceptance by 2.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 349,238 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $44,196,000 after acquiring an additional 7,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in World Acceptance by 74.7% during the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 13,971 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 5,974 shares in the last quarter. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
WRLD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of World Acceptance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of World Acceptance from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of World Acceptance from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.00.
Get Our Latest Analysis on WRLD
World Acceptance Stock Up 0.4%
WRLD opened at $173.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 17.83 and a quick ratio of 17.83. The company's 50-day moving average is $171.85 and its 200 day moving average is $157.01. World Acceptance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $104.99 and a fifty-two week high of $185.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $945.41 million, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 1.35.
World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($2.19). World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The firm had revenue of $132.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.38 million. Research analysts expect that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at World Acceptance
In related news, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total transaction of $750,288.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,812,883. This trade represents a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Alice Lindsay Caulder sold 1,000 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.33, for a total transaction of $167,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,763,454.95. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 356,559 shares of company stock valued at $61,548,969 over the last three months. Insiders own 41.60% of the company's stock.
World Acceptance Company Profile
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Free Report)
World Acceptance Corporation engages in consumer finance business in the United States. The company provides short-term small installment loans, medium-term larger installment loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services to individuals. It offers income tax return preparation and filing services; and automobile club memberships.
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