Nuveen LLC Purchases Shares of 10,714 World Acceptance Corporation $WRLD

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new position in World Acceptance Corporation, buying 10,714 shares valued at approximately $1.36 million, representing 0.19% ownership.
• In the 1st quarter, other hedge funds increased their stakes in World Acceptance, with GAMMA Investing lifting their holdings by 570.9%.
• World Acceptance reported a Q2 EPS of $0.25, missing analysts' estimates of $2.44, despite revenue of $132.45 million surpassing expectations.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 10,714 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,356,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.19% of World Acceptance at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WRLD. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of World Acceptance by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,643 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of World Acceptance by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,218 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of World Acceptance by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,909 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of World Acceptance by 13.4% during the fourth 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. Finally, Comerica Bank increased its position in shares of World Acceptance by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,513 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

World Acceptance Stock Up 0.3%

World Acceptance stock traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $173.47. The stock had a trading volume of 13,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,243. 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 stock has a market cap of $944.72 million, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 1.28. World Acceptance Corporation has a 12 month low of $104.99 and a 12 month high of $177.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.48.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $122.38 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. Research analysts predict that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other World Acceptance news, insider Daniel Clinton Dyer sold 4,704 shares of World Acceptance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total value of $750,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,714 shares in the company, valued at $6,812,883. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles D. Way sold 402 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $64,320.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,463,200. This represents a 2.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,156 shares of company stock valued at $822,658. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.