D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Acquires Shares of 9,816 Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 9,816 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $548,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.07% of Atlanticus at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATLC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Atlanticus by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Atlanticus by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,128 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Atlanticus by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,413 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 229.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 728 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,168 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 950 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.15% of the company's stock.

Atlanticus Price Performance

Atlanticus stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $49.61. The company had a trading volume of 3,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 56,361. The firm has a market capitalization of $750.40 million, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 1.85. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $52.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a 1-year low of $25.14 and a 1-year high of $64.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The credit services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.16. Atlanticus had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 25.14%. The business had revenue of $344.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.24 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ATLC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $60.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atlanticus from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.60.

Atlanticus 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.