World Acceptance Corporation $WRLD Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD) by 2.2% during Q1, holding approximately $44.20 million worth of shares.
• A recent report from Wall Street Zen downgraded World Acceptance's stock rating from "strong-buy" to "hold," with a consensus target price of $10.00.
• World Acceptance's latest quarterly earnings revealed a missed consensus estimate of $2.44 EPS, reporting only $0.25, despite achieving revenues of $132.45 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ:WRLD - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 349,238 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,429 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.08% of World Acceptance worth $44,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northern Trust Corp increased 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 purchasing an additional 7,622 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 84,803.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 46,697 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,910,000 after acquiring an additional 46,642 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 42,597 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in World Acceptance by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 33,632 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,782,000 after acquiring an additional 4,329 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

World Acceptance Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ WRLD traded down $2.10 on Friday, reaching $171.43. The company had a trading volume of 23,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,568. The firm has a market capitalization of $934.29 million, a PE ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 1.27. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $166.19 and a 200-day moving average of $147.01. World Acceptance Corporation has a 1 year low of $104.99 and a 1 year high of $177.25.

World Acceptance (NASDAQ:WRLD - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business had revenue of $132.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $122.38 million. World Acceptance had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 18.95%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that World Acceptance Corporation will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Darrell E. Whitaker sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.73, for a total transaction of $389,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,074 shares in the company, valued at approximately $790,174.02. This represents a 33.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Way sold 402 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 2.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,656 shares of company stock worth $1,211,983. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

World Acceptance Profile

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.