Wellington Management Group LLP Increases Stock Position in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC)

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC - Free Report) by 159.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 122,225 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 75,068 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.81% of Atlanticus worth $6,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atlanticus in the fourth quarter worth about $129,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Atlanticus by 53.2% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,004 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,451,000 after buying an additional 9,026 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Atlanticus by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,128 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 7,454 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atlanticus in the fourth quarter worth $399,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Atlanticus Trading Up 0.7%

ATLC stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $49.23. 36,192 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 39,166. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.48. Atlanticus Holdings Co. has a 1 year low of $25.44 and a 1 year high of $64.70.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The credit services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $347.24 million. On average, research analysts predict that Atlanticus Holdings Co. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.