Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Invests $399,000 in World Acceptance Corporation $WRLD

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC invested approximately $399,000 in World Acceptance Corporation, purchasing 3,150 shares in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Versant Capital Management and Russell Investments Group, have significantly increased their holdings in World Acceptance during the first quarter.
• World Acceptance reported a quarter earnings miss, with an EPS of $0.25 compared to a consensus estimate of $2.44, despite achieving higher-than-expected revenue of $132.45 million.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,150 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $399,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of World Acceptance as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WRLD. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 570.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 369 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in World Acceptance by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,162 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in World Acceptance by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 64,584 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $7,262,000 after acquiring an additional 7,622 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,218 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 42.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 30,968 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,482,000 after acquiring an additional 9,194 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.63% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,812,883. This trade represents a 9.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Way sold 402 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $64,320.00. Following the sale, the director owned 15,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,463,200. This trade represents a 2.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,656 shares of company stock worth $1,211,983 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company's stock.

World Acceptance Stock Performance

WRLD stock traded down $1.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $170.46. 26,085 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 49,351. World Acceptance Corporation has a twelve month low of $104.99 and a twelve month high of $177.25. The company has a current ratio of 17.83, a quick ratio of 17.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $929.01 million, a P/E ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.28.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($2.19). The firm had revenue of $132.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.38 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered World Acceptance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.00.

About World Acceptance

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.